Is using a 45 million dollar helicopter for such tasks, especially for a country with Australia's limited military budget, even remotely cost-effective?
I'd like someone to answer that question too. It's a long time ago now, but I'll bet it's unchanged - I couldn't count the number of times I flew sorties out to some unit in the field with nothing more than new batteries for their radios as the payload. It simply doesn't make sense to use a 45 million dollar helicopter for such tasks.
What
do units do in today's Army when they need minor (but vital) resup. that used to be provided by the Kiowas or Hueys?