Australia’s Refusal to Supply Helicopters to Ukraine ‘Scandalous’, Critics Say

Australia has formally rejected a request from Ukraine to use its fleet of Taipan MRH-90 helicopters, saying they’re being dismantled, but defence commentators say the aircraft should still be flying and have characterised the refusal as “scandalous.” After one of the aircraft crashed on a training exercise in Queensland last year, killing four defence personnel, all 45 were grounded. They are now being dismantled for eventual burial, the government says. Four months before the fatal crash in July, 10 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were forced to ditch an MRH-90 helicopter into the water at Jervis Bay, on the NSW south coast. Eyewitnesses reported seeing sparks at the top of the rotor blades and an explosion before the helicopter crashed....