PNG and Australia Deepen Defence Ties Through High-Altitude Chinook Training
Papua New Guinea’s Central Highlands have hosted a series of Australian Defence Force (ADF) Chinook helicopter training missions, preparing pilots and crew for high-altitude operations ahead of the joint Exercise Wantok Warrior with the PNG Defence Force (PNGDF).
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| Photo caption: “An ADF CH-47F Chinook prepares for a high-altitude landing in the Central Highlands during Exercise Helicon Luk 2025, ahead of Exercise Wantok Warrior with the PNGDF. Photo: Defence Australia / Australian Army.” |
The exercise, known as Helicon Luk 2025, saw around 100 members of the ADF’s 5th Aviation Regiment and four CH-47F Chinooks undertake daily missions across the Owen Stanley Ranges. The training aimed to familiarise crews with thin-air flying, take-off, and landing in steep and variable mountain conditions.
ADF spokespersons said the experience was vital for developing operational confidence in an environment far more demanding than their usual base in Townsville, Queensland. While Townsville’s peaks rise to about 1,700 feet, sorties in the Central Highlands took pilots beyond 9,000 feet, testing their aircraft handling in thinner air.
“These flights are crucial in preparing crews for operations in mountainous regions like PNG, where performance and safety depend heavily on understanding altitude effects,” an ADF representative explained.
The training is part of broader defence cooperation between PNG and Australia, ensuring both forces can operate together effectively across the region’s complex terrain. It also prepares the ADF to support PNGDF in upcoming joint operations and humanitarian responses.
Officials said the exercise highlights the enduring partnership and shared commitment between the two nations. “Our ability to train and operate together in challenging environments is a cornerstone of our regional security relationship,” the ADF said.
A Defence Australia photo captured one of the Chinooks preparing for a high-altitude landing in the Central Highlands during the exercise, symbolising the close defence ties between the two nations.
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