Australia's Eurocopter Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters have returned to service, after having been grounded for six weeks because of a faulty capacitor in the cockpit of one of the aircraft.
The fleet was suspended on 26 June following the detection of fumes in the cockpit, Australia's Department of Defence said in a statement. An investigation found that the source of the fumes was a faulty power supply module in a cockpit multi-function display.
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Commonwealth of Australia |
"The suspension was lifted late yesterday after the Army Operational Airworthiness Authority received a detailed assessment and recommendation to resume flying operations from the Technical Airworthiness Authority," the DoD said on 3 August. It adds that the fleet has been examined, with faulty power supply modules to be returned to the manufacturer for modification.
Cockpit fumes had caused Australia's Tigers to be grounded twice this year, with the first period of restrictions having run from 16-30 May.
Australia's army operates 22 Tigers. The type has yet to become fully operational in Australian service, with final testing planned for late 2012.
Source: Flight International
