Air International 2022-01
N.Pittaway - Regional Resurgence
The MRH 90 Taipan is a variant of the NHI NH 90 TTH and currently serves with the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy. The latter service is considering a purchase of additional MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to standardise its embarked helicopter fleet
Mitsubishi produced the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk/Sea Hawk under licence for the Japanese Self-Defence Forces. Pictured is a JASDF UH-60J conducting training at Hyakuri Air Base outside Tokyo in October 2019.
The Malaysian Armed Forces retired their ageing fleet of Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri helicopters without replacement in January 2020. M23-24 is pictured departing Langkawi in March 2019
The Australian Army has ten Boeing CH-47F Chinook medium-lift helicopters in service with the 5th Aviation Regiment in Townsville and is introducing a further four examples in 2022-23
The Australian Army's 1st Aviation Regiment currently operates the Eurocopter Tiger from Darwin in the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter role, and from Oakley, for training. The type will begin to be replaced by the AH-64E Apache in 2025
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is replacing its Aerospatiale AS332M/AS332M1 Super Puma Helicopters with the Airbus Helicopters H225M. The first H225Ms were delivered to Singapore in March 2021
The Airbus Helicopters H135 serves as the Australian Defence Force's rotary-wing training platform. Fifteen helicopters are based at HMAS Albatross, south of Sydney and flown by a joint Navy-Army squadron
Australia purchased 24 Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawks as its primary naval combat helicopter in 2011. The helicopters are routinely embarked in the Royal Australian Navy’s surface combatants