Asia Pacific Defence Reporter19 Feb 2024

Episode 37

By popular demand, it’s time for more dirt on Taipan helicopters, but before that there’s some breaking news about AUKUS. In the US, supplemental funding that was going to help lift the rate of submarine production has fallen foul of Trump-worshipping Republicans in Congress. The omnibus legislation was mainly about securing the southern border but also contained military aid for Ukraine and Israel – plus about another $3.3 billion for submarine stuff. So while Australia remains on the hook for a contribution of $4.6 billion – which neither the government nor the RAN can justify – the Americans refuse to spend their own money to speed up submarine production. What an ally! Unless Virginia class submarines are being built at a rate of 2.33 per year, Australia will receive nothing. Finally – Taipan helicopters have received a decent amount of scrutiny in Senate Estimates, though some of the reporting of that has been woeful. Media colleagues: please get it through your thick skulls that the Taipan helicopters are perfectly safe. The obscene speed with which Army has tried to destroy them has only one cause – they don’t want another country to successfully use them because that would reveal massive Australian incompetence.

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