Adf aviation assets in natural disasters

[Bob C]

I really don't understand !

The two former ARMY Blackhawks that were gifted to the NSW RFS 3-4 years ago to be used transporting firefighters to remote areas still cannot be used as CASA considers these ex military helicopters an unacceptable risk to safety.

Yet MRH-90s are being used to evacuate civilians from flood ravaged areas in QLD and ADF aviation assets were used extensively throughout the 2019/20 bushfires and previous natural disasters.

And I find it ironic that ex U S Army Blackhawks, registered in the U S A and N Z, are being used as firebombers but ex R A N Seahawks which could be converted for such use are hidden away in Belmont N S W gathering dust. And surely some of the recently retired ARMY Blackhawks could have been retained for use as fire bombers as one of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements stated "....This warrants a reassessment of AustraliaÂ’s current reliance on overseas-based aviation services, and a focus on developing AustraliaÂ’s sovereign aerial firefighting capability....."