According to foreign media reports, Australian Defense Minister Richard Mars recently announced that Australia has officially retired all NH-90 (Australian model MRH-90) helicopters equipped by the country's defense forces, 15 years ahead of the expected retirement date. Australia has decided to return to its original choice of more than 10 years ago and replace it with an American UH-60M helicopter. From 2004 to 2005, Australia proposed the "Air 9000 Mobile Helicopter" project, with the American UH-60M helicopter being the initial choice. However, due to political and industrial considerations, the then Minister of Defense chose the NH-90 helicopter jointly developed by multiple European countries. The Australian Defense Force is equipped with a total of 47 aircraft of this type, of which 42 are manufactured domestically in Australia. The Australian National Defense Forces NH-90 helicopter project has undergone twists and turns since its launch. Due to issues with the engine, cabin floor, seats, ramps, and overall design of the NH-90 helicopter, the Australian government has had multiple negotiations with contractors and made three modifications to the design, resulting in a delivery time of 5 years later than planned. From April to July 2010, the Australian Defense Forces grounded all NH-90 helicopters due to malfunctions; In June 2021, due to a lack of maintenance and waiting for imported spare parts from Europe, all flights were grounded again; In April 2022, the Australian Navy grounded all NH-90 helicopters, and in May, the Australian government announced that it would replace the Navy's NH-90 helicopters with MH-60R helicopters. This year, the Australian Defense Forces NH-90 helicopter experienced two major crashes within three months. In March, an Australian Army NH-90 helicopter carrying 10 crew members and special operations personnel fell into the sea during training in Javis Bay in southern Sydney. The pilot conducted a "controllable flight collision" operation to avoid significant casualties. In July, an Australian Army NH-90 helicopter participating in the "Escort Saber 2023" joint exercise fell into the sea near the Hamilton Coast of Queensland at night, and four crew members disappeared. In addition, the Australian Defense Forces NH-90 helicopter has also encountered multiple problems in use. For example, fully armed soldiers walking through the cabin floor can cause the floor to deform; The installation position of the cabin door machine gun prevents personnel from shooting when boarding and disembarking from the aircraft; Multiple antennas are installed under the fuselage, preventing it from landing at a location with an obstacle height exceeding 16 centimeters; The flight performance cannot meet the needs of the Australian National Defense Force, especially the special operations forces. To address the equipment shortage caused by the frequent issue of NH-90 helicopters, the Australian Defense Forces have had to allocate more funds to extend the lifespan of the old S-70A-9 helicopter, extend its original retirement date by 10 years, and purchase four additional US made CH-47F helicopters. At the same time, the Australian Defense Forces also leased six AW-139 helicopters for casualty evacuation and pilot training. The Australian government and defense forces ultimately decided to return to their original choice of over 10 years ago and replace it with UH-60M helicopters. The Australian government will purchase 40 UH-60M helicopters from the United States in the second half of 2021 to fill the vacancy for NH-90 helicopters. Australian Army Chief of Staff Simon Stewart pointed out the purchase of 40 UH-6 aircraft