MRH90 Taipan
Australian army helicopter crashes – probably because a software update was not installed
An Australian MRH90 Taipan from the French helicopter manufacturer NHIndustries.
© Ian Hitchcock / Getty Images
On March 23, an Australian military helicopter crashed into the sea. All 10 soldiers on board were rescued. Insiders are now reporting that a lack of a software update may have caused the crash – the crashed MRH90 Taipan was not updated for 13 years.
In Australia, the MRH90 Taipan, a variant of the NH90 medium-heavy military transport helicopter from the French helicopter manufacturer NHIndustries, is considered a breakdown bird. The government has been preparing to switch to another model for some time – but the unloved helicopter is to remain in service until the ordered UH-60M Black Hawk is put into service. After a crash at the end of March, the army leadership initially put the Taipan on the chain accident report. The helicopters are now allowed to take off again. How the incident finally came about has not yet been officially clarified.
Software update for breakdown heli not installed
Opposite the news site”ABC News“Insiders came forward and said that a problem with the software and negligent maintenance probably led to the accident. After a serious mechanical problem led to the failure of a Taipan engine 13 years ago, the pilot was only able to make an emergency landing with difficulty, the manufacturer published a software update.
According to the anonymous sources, the installation was only carried out on “a handful” of helicopters. It is therefore clear to them how the emergency waters could have happened. The army would neither confirm nor deny the allegations. It was said that the investigation would continue.
The update in question is intended to prevent the so-called “hot start”, which can lead to engine failures in the NH90. A “hot start” describes the starting of an engine that has just been shut down. However, the turbo engines of the NH90 cannot take this and should run continuously during a mission – and only be switched off completely at the very end. The update prevents this type of operation from being possible at all.
Helicopter NH90 shakes heads worldwide
It is far from the first negative headlines for the NH90. Norway also had major problems with the model, which is why the armed forces canceled a contract worth millions and insisted on repayment by the manufacturer. According to “European security & technology” Numerous problems with the helicopter.
The Australian armed forces will no longer have to fly the MRH90 Taipan for a long time. The army expects the delivery of a total of 40 ordered Black Hawk helicopters from the manufacturer Sikorsky, which belongs to the Lockheed Group, to begin this year.
Also read:
US Army replaces helicopters with futuristic aircraft with rotating rotors
Disaster for Airbus: Norway returns scrap helicopters and wants the money back