The Army has grounded its fleet of Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters after a pilot detected fumes in the cockpit of one of the machines.
Defence gave few details of the issue in a brief statement, saying only that all training flights had been suspended. The Army operates a fleet of 22 Tigers, three of which are currently undergoing retrofit. The $2 billion fleet remains in a testing and training phase and is not expected to enter service until the end of the year.
The last of Australia’s Tigers, which are based on a Eurocopter design, was delivered in December 2011 after a series of delays and controversies.
