Ten soldiers plucked from sea after army helicopter crash near Jervis Bay

Australian defence force personnel have been rescued after an army helicopter crashed into the ocean off the New South Wales south coast during a routine counter-terrorism training exercise.

The 10 soldiers were plucked from the water after the Army MRH-90 Taipan multi-role helicopter ditched into the water near Jervis Bay on Wednesday night.

Two of the crew sustained minor injuries from the crash that occurred just after 9pm.

The chief of army, Lt Gen Simon Stuart, thanked emergency responders for their quick action.

The ADF has temporarily paused the training activity and will ground the MRH-90 Taipan fleet while the cause of the incident is investigated.

The Howard government-era acquisition of 47 MRH-90 Taipan helicopters have been plagued by successive problems, with the entire fleet previously grounded in 2019 to fix the tail rotor blades.

No contracts were signed by the time of the change of government but the Albanese government confirmed in January this year it will buy Black Hawks at a likely cost of about $3bn.

The incident site is being contained by Australian federal police and port services personnel.