The burning wreckage of a 30-year-old Sea King helicopter which crashed on the Nias Island in Indonesia is seen in this image taken April 2.

Nine military personnel were killed in a crash April 2 when an emergency medical team was being airlifted to Nias Island in Indonesia following the massive March 28 earthquake.

The Australian Defense Association, an independent military think tank, said the navy had not been given sufficient resources to replace its 30-year old fleet.

Prime Minister John Howard defended his government's decision not to replace the helicopters, which have undergone a life-extension program to keep them in service until at least 2015.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 9, 2005
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