'Light shone so brightly': chopper 犠牲者s remembered
The family and friends of four army 職員／兵員 who died in a ヘリコプター 衝突，墜落 during 軍の 演習s have 配達するd emotional 尊敬の印s as the search continues for their lost loved-ones.
An MRH-90 Taipan chopper 衝突，墜落d off the north Queensland coast during the 多国籍の 演習 Talisman Sabre last week.
Captain Danniel Lyon, 中尉／大尉／警部補 Maxwell Nugent, 令状 Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs are all 行方不明の and 推定するd dead after their ヘリコプター 攻撃する，衝突する the water off Hamilton Island.
The family of 24-year-old Lt Nugent, from Sydney's north, remembered him as a larrikin who got to live his dream of 飛行機で行くing with the army.
"Max was 堅い - if somebody told him he couldn't do something, he took it as a challenge and 固執するd with unshakable 決意 until he had 証明するd them wrong," they said in a 声明.
WO Laycock's parents said his two loves in life were his 軍の career and his three sons.
"Outside of his army career, Phillip was a 充てるd father and enthusiastic mountain biker," they said.
"We are immensely proud of the high esteem in which he was held by his mates and superiors."
Capt Lyon was remembered as a beloved husband, 充てるd father of two and 広大な／多数の／重要な mate.
"Danniel's smile could brighten even the darkest days," his family said.
"His light shone so brightly we cannot imagine a world without it."
Cpl Naggs was 述べるd as "an inspiration to his family and those around him" by his partner, who 追加するd that everyone was heartbroken to lose him so soon.
While much of the 航空機 includ ing major sections of the fuselage have been 回復するd, a 重要な 多国籍の 操作／手術 remains 進行中で to 位置を示す the 団体／死体s of the 行方不明の airmen.
共同の 操作／手術s 長，指導者 中尉／大尉／警部補 General Greg Bilton said the defence 軍隊's 焦点（を合わせる） remained on "bringing our people home to their families and supporting the defence family through this difficult period".
In an emotional speech to 連邦の 議会, Queensland MP and Afghanistan 退役軍人 Phillip Thompson said he had the honour of serving with Cpl Naggs and 述べるd him as "the nicest, kindest person I've ever met".
"Someone that was just there, listening, would talk to everyone," he said.
The 尊敬の印s come as the 政府 作品 on a 交替／補充 (n)艦隊／(a)素早い for the troubled Taipan ヘリコプターs.
The 衝突，墜落 was the second 出来事/事件 伴う／関わるing a Taipan ヘリコプター this year after another of the 航空機 溝へはまらせる／不時着するd into the water off the NSW south coast in March during a training 演習.
The former 連立政権 発表するd in 2021 the (n)艦隊／(a)素早い would be 取って代わるd by 黒人／ボイコット 強硬派s.
Defence 大臣 Richard Marles said the Taipans would remain grounded until the Queensland 出来事/事件 was 調査／捜査するd, but he did not want to raise 期待s of a quicker 黒人／ボイコット 強硬派 rollout.
"It is both a question of having the airframes come to Australia, but also a question of making sure that all the appropriate training and credentialling is done for those who operate the 黒人／ボイコット 強硬派s so that that can be done in a 安全な way," he said.
The Taipans are 予定 to come out of service at the end of 2024.
影をつくる／尾行する defence 大臣 Andrew Hastie, who flew in 黒人／ボイコット 強硬派s when he was with the Special 空気／公表する Service 連隊, said the new 航空機 "can't come soon enough".
He said the Taipan was not an inherently 危険な 航空機, but it was so "magnificently engineered" it was hard for the army to get the 要求するd hours out of it.
