Chopper crash in the Pacific pauses major Australia-US military exercise, four missing

The biennial Talisman Sabre military exercise is testing large-scale logistics, land combat, amphibious landings and air operations. - PHOTO: AFP

BRISBANE (AFP): Australia paused a major military exercise with the United States on Saturday, after a defence helicopter taking part in the drills crashed into the Pacific leaving four aircrew missing.

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said the MRH-90 Taipan went down late Friday night in sub-tropical waters near Hamilton Island, Queensland.