A MRH-90 Taipan chopper crashed off the north Queensland coast during the multinational Exercise Talisman Sabre last week.

Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs are all missing and presumed dead after their helicopter hit the water off Hamilton Island.

Australian Defence Force chief of joint operations Lieutenant General Greg Bilton said human remains had been found 40 metres below the surface.

But he said identification was not likely until after the remains were recovered.

Lt Gen Bilton said work was ongoing to determine the cause of the crash.

“It was a normal flight in a group of four aircraft flying at the time,” he told reporters.

“At this stage, all communications were normal before the aircraft impacted the water.”

Debris from the cockpit has also been found by underwater vehicles.

“Army has spoken with the families of the missing soldiers and is providing them with support,” Lt Gen Bilton said.

“It is important to collect as much of the debris as we can so we can fully understand how this incident occurred.”

Lt Gen Bilton said recovery efforts would be difficult, with weather conditions set to remain challenging for crews in coming days.

The black box flight recorder has not yet been recovered.

The government is working on a replacement fleet for the troubled Taipan helicopters.

The crash was the second incident involving a Taipan helicopter this year after another of the aircraft ditched into the water off the NSW south coast in March during a training exercise.

The former coalition government announced in 2021 the fleet would be replaced by Black Hawks.

The Taipans are due to come out of service at the end of 2024.

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