The national fleet of MRH-90 Taipans was set to be phased out of use next year, but in the meantime have been taken out of the air following the disaster this weekend.
Australian Army Chief Lieutenant General Simon Stuart yesterday identified those missing as Captain Daniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Corporal Alexander Naggs, and Laycock.
All four aviators are from the 6th aviation regiment based at the Holsworthy army barracks in Sydney.
The search for the men continues today, with an exclusion zone of more than 100 square kilometres in place off the coast.
The crash marks one of Australia’s worst peacetime military disasters in almost 20 years, and came as the aircraft was being phased out of military use.
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The fleet was also grounded then but returned to the skies in April with “risk mitigations” in place, a Defence spokesperson said at the time.
An investigation is underway into the current accident, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was a reminder that there were no “safe and easy days” for people in the military.
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Albanese offered his condolences to the families of the victims, who he said were trying to “build a more peaceful and safe world” during the failed operation.
“Our thoughts are also with those that they serve alongside – friends, brothers and sisters in uniform who even now are aiding in the search effort. I’d also like to thank the support from other nations during this search effort”.