The French government has a significant stake in Airbus – the aerospace company that makes the Taipan – and has been urging Australia to keep its 40-strong fleet.
But Marles said the helicopters were plagued by costly repairs.
“We’ve been fighting with the Taipan for many years in terms of maintenance issues, getting spare parts,” he said.
“We just haven’t gotten the flight hours from Taipan that we need. We’re confident we can get that from the Black Hawks.”