A soon-to-be-retired army helicopter has returned to its Queensland base after suffering a "minor technical fault" that hampered its departure from an aviation exhibition held on a Gold Coast golf course.
The aging Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter (ARH) was on display at the RACV Royal Pines Resort this week for an Australian Helicopter Industry Association event, when it experienced difficulties before take-off.
Video recorded on Thursday and obtained by the ABC shows smoke emerging from the rear of the locally assembled aircraft which is due to be replaced by a new American-made Apache attack helicopter.
"This was a 'hot engine start' and these things happen about once a year with army helicopters,' a source with knowledge of the incident told the ABC, speaking only on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly.
A Department of Defence spokesperson told the ABC during the incident “no injuries or damages were sustained," during the incident and the helicopter was able to fly back to base at Oakey.
"An Australian Army Tiger Armed Reconnaissance helicopter experienced a minor technical fault while preparing for take-off from the RotorTech Helicopter and Uncrewed Flight Exposition on the Gold Coast on 6 June 2024.
"The fault has been rectified and the aircraft has flown back to Swartz Barracks, Oakey," the department spokesperson added.
The ABC has confirmed the damaged aircraft spent Thursday night grounded on the Royal Pines Golf Course, before returning to the army's aviation centre at Oakey in Queensland on Friday.
Army’s Tiger helicopters are made by Airbus, the same manufacturer that produces the Taipan helicopter that Australia permanently grounded last year following a crash off the Queensland coast that killed four soldiers.
Australia is planning to acquire 29 AH-64E Apaches built by Boeing in the United States as part of a multi-billion-dollar program to replace the army's 22 Tiger helicopters, while the Taipans are being ditched in favour of imported Black Hawks.
According to the department's website, the two-seater Tiger is considered one of the most advanced armed reconnaissance helicopters in the world today, able to perform a wide range of missions.
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2024-06-07 19:29:56Z
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