Australian Army aviation reconstitutes with host of new platforms
Bell had offered the twin-engine 429 for the now-cancelled Australian Army special forces light utility helicopter requirement. (Photo: Gordon Arthur)
New aviation platforms are all on the way for Australian Army - UH-60M Black Hawk, AH-64E Apache Guardian and Integrator UAVs.
Australia’s Army Aviation Command is undergoing a dramatic renewal, as European helicopters are progressively replaced by American ones. Recent acquisitions have also caused the cancellation of Project Land 2097 Phase 4, which sought special operations helicopters.
Maj Gen Stephen Jobson, head of the Army Aviation Command, confirmed to Shephard at Avalon Airshow 2023 that Land 2097 Phase 4 ‘has been cancelled’.
In fact, media were informed of its cancellation even before the contenders – Bell’s 429 and Airbus Helicopters’ H145M – were. An RfT for this had closed on 10 July 2020.
Jobson, who leads the aviation command that was formed
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