Posted on 05/14/2006 9:42:21 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
LEGAL action might be launched against US suppliers of Australia's troubled Super Seasprite helicopter now grounded with technical problems, the Government said today.
The Australian navy bought 11 of the helicopters from US defence contractor Kaman Aerospace for $1 billion in 1997, but the Seasprites have been plagued by technical problems and have never been fully operational.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said today he had banned the Seasprites from flying because of the latest difficulties, software and technical problems.
"I have asked the Department of Defence to consider all options including, if appropriate, legal action against the contractors who have not fulfilled their obligations to Australia and to Australian taxpayers," Dr Nelson said in Melbourne.
"We've been let down seriously by a number of contractors.
"We have had delays and essentially as far as I am concerned the software failures we faced in late March have been the straw that's broken the camel's back."
A defence review, due to report by the end of June, may recommend the choppers be replaced at a cost of at least another $1 billion.
A key defence lobby group, the Australian Defence Association, earlier today urged the Government to sue the US contractors over the failed Seasprite program.
"Unless you start trying to punish some of these defence contractors for not delivering the capability that they were contracted to deliver, you're not really going to solve the problem in the long run," ADA executive director Neil James said.
Looks like our Navy flys these too. I wonder what the reliabilty of our craft is.
I don't think I'd like to be traveling in one.
Weren't those the helicopters that were old and pretty much worn out before they were painted and fixed up? What did they expect out of them?
Reminds me of what happened when the Canadians bought used submarines instead of new.
Problem isn't the airframe. It's in the new eletronics and software combat suite fitted to turn an ASW bird into as anti-ship missle launcher.
In retrospect shoulda bought the Westland Lynx
Actually, with China's threat looming...we should have kept them as ASW birds.
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