Australia's NH90 Helicopters Meet Their End: Buried and Forgotten

Recently, the Australian Army has been getting rid of its old NHIndustries NH-90 Tactical Transport Helicopters by wrecking and burying them. Now, Ukraine has asked for whatever is left of these helicopters.

Reports that the Australian Army was deliberately scrapping its troublesome NH-90 Tactical Transport Helicopters have been confirmed.

Imagery and video have of at least six of the already wrecked-beyond-recovery NH-90 airframes, which have been stripped, before being dumped at an Australian Army compound at Royal Australian Air Force base Amberley, Queensland.

The disposal of the airframes has been further confirmed by the Australian Department of Defense, responding to media information requests with a standardized statement, “Defense is working with Airbus Australia Pacific and NATO Helicopter Industries (...)to harvest key spares from the MRH-90 (...) fleet for use of other NH-90 operators. (...)”

Deliberately destroying a billion-dollar aircraft fleet is not a standard operational procedure for the Australian Defense Force, although there is a precedent. The Australian military traditionally places retired aircraft, like its recently withdrawn from service F/A-18A/B+ Hornet and older C-130H Hercules fleet, in contractor-maintained preservation storage until approved buyers can be found through the Australian Defense Force Export Office, Australia’s equivalent of the U.S. State Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency. 

The relatively new NH-90 TTH, the Australian Defense Force has taken a much more radical approach.  The MRH-90 fleet was immediately grounded after a tragic accident in Queensland, and a decision to replace them with Black Hawk helicopters was made. The  disposal strategy for the MRH-90s, started inmediatly by contacting other users of the helicopter to see if anyone was interested in buying the airframes. No interest was shown, and negotiations began with Airbus to see if there were any potential new customers interested in buying the airframes, without any success. As a result, the Ministry of Defense made the decision to initiate the disposal process, aiming for the best value for money for taxpayers, which involved disassembling and selling the spare parts.

Cannibalization and disposal of the Australian Army’s NH-90 fleet had been conducted covertly since October, with almost no public discussion until the Ukrainian government made a formal request.

Australian government formally rejected its request for the helicopters on January 16 after enduring another embarrassing social media battle with Ukraine’s online supporters. 

The decision to reject Ukraine's request was based on the fact that it would require significant taxpayers' money and time to get those aircraft back into flying conditions, and the crash investigations are still ongoing to determine the cause of the tragic accident in Queensland. It would be irresponsible to proceed with this transfer.

The Australia’s demolition of its NH-90 TTH fleet had progressed too far to even consider the option of donation to Ukraine’s war effort.

Reports that Australia has given its close Anzac partner the Royal New Zealand Air Force some of the salvaged NH-90 components to support its small fleet of nine NH-90 TTHs may well prove true, Australia and New Zealand have a long history of military cooperation, spanning over 120 years. However, neither country has confirmed any transfer of NH-90-related systems or materials.

The Australian Defense Force decided to dismantle and destroy its NH-90 TTH fleet after a series of incidents, including a fatal accident that claimed the lives of four aircrew members during a joint exercise with the U.S. Army in July 2023. Only one out of the 44 flyable NH-90s has been sold, while the remaining 43, along with two non-airworthy airframes, are being cannibalized and destroyed. The exact number already dismantled is undisclosed, but the destruction process is ongoing, as confirmed by Minister of Defense Industry Pat Conroy.

Last year, at least six of the 40 former Australian Army NH-90s were destroyed before contractors, previously tasked with maintaining the fleet, were laid off on December 31. The wreckage was transported from Airbus Australia Pacific's facility at Brisbane Airport to RAAF Amberley, where the stripped airframes were dumped at a military facility. Additional NH-90 airframes designated for destruction were stored at three other locations: some at the Australian Army Aviation's 6th Aviation Regiment headquarters, others at the Army School of Aviation, and the rest at the Maintenance Storage and Transition facility at RAAF Townsville.

The entire Australian Army NH-90 fleet is being gradually transported to final locations for stripping and destruction because a permanent flight ban prevents them from being flown directly to disposal sites like Airbus Australia Pacific. The decision to scrap the fleet was made by the government before the fleet was permanently grounded on September 29, 2023, by Australian Minister of Defense Richard Marles. The exact value of the helicopters being scrapped is hard to determine, but the initial acquisition program, Project Air 9000, was budgeted at $3.5 billion Australian dollars. Additional funds were spent on maintenance and attempts to fix technical issues after the helicopters entered service in November 2007.

Recent reports from the aviation industry estimate that each relatively low-hour NH-90 airframe is worth around $13.5 million USD on the international market, reflecting the helicopter's troubled operational history and numerous groundings.

Only one airframe, A40-047, will survive the fleet's destruction. It was part of a settlement between the Australian Government and NHIndustries due to design and reliability issues experienced during the NH-90's introduction into service. This airframe, with only around 500 flight hours, has been sold back to NHIndustries in Europe for use in their training and testing fleet.

Three other Australian NH-90s were lost or damaged beyond repair during their service: A40-014 during bushfire response operations in 2020, A40-025 after an engine failure during training exercises in 2023, and A40-040 in a fatal crash in 2023 during Exercise Talisman Sabre, resulting in the deaths of four aircrew members.

The Australian Defense Force's frustration with the NH-90, stemming from years of low availability, frequent groundings, cost overruns, and technical issues, led to the decision to replace the helicopters with new UH-60M Black Hawks by December 2024. Design shortcomings, including issues with floors and cargo bay doors, further hindered the NH-90's combat readiness.

The Australian Department of Defense is salvaging important parts from the NH-90 fleet before destroying them, as some subsystems are in high demand. This task requires careful oversight to maintain relevant certification documentation while salvaging parts.

The decision to dispose of the stripped NH-90 airframes, reportedly by burial at a secure site, aims to reduce the risk of environmental contamination from the carbon composite airframes, which can release highly toxic particles if left to decay or burned.

The disposal of the Australian Army's NH-90 fleet comes after the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm, which operated six NH-90s, abandoned the type in April 2022. They opted for more MH-60R Romeos after the NH-90 failed to meet critical requirements despite seven years of effort.

The Australian Defense Force is not alone in seeking to divest itself of the problematic NH-90 helicopter. The Norwegian, Belgian, and Swedish militaries are also replacing all or part of their NH-90 fleets.

While unusual, Australia has prior experience burying decommissioned combat equipment, such as the F-111C and F-111G airframes retired from RAAF service in 2010. This was done to uphold a 1960s agreement with the U.S. government, preventing transfer of the nuclear-capable aircraft to third nations.

However, disposing of the NH-90 helicopters hasn't resolved the Australian Army's helicopter challenges. Delays in introducing the replacement fleet of 40 UH-60M Black Hawks mean reliance on 14 CH-47F Chinooks and a few leased AW139 helicopters.

Currently, the Army's five operational helicopter squadrons are down to one CH-47F Chinook unit and a small fleet of AW139s based in Townsville.

Three new UH-60M Black Hawks have arrived in Sydney and are undergoing validation and verification to ensure they meet Special Operations Aviation Support requirements.

By mid-2025, Australian Army Aviation plans to have three aviation regiments and a comprehensive Army School of Aviation. This includes transitioning the 1st Aviation Regiment to RAAF Townsville and establishing the 5th Aviation Regiment at Swartz Barracks in Oakey. The 6th Aviation Regiment will operate from Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney.

In three years, the Australian Defense Force will operate an all-American helicopter fleet, including Apaches, Black Hawks, Chinooks, and Seahawks.