Australia announced Monday it will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft to help ensure the uninterrupted flow of military and humanitarian aid into Ukraine. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) asset will be based in Germany.
The early warning and control asset will help protect multinational logistics hubs but won’t enter the war-torn nation’s airspace.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the deployment will include up to 100 crew and support personnel from Australia, adding to previous contributions to the war zone from Canberra including lethal munitions, weaponry, and fighting vehicles.
“This demonstrates Australia’s commitment to upholding the rules-based international order,” he told reporters in Berlin on Monday, SBS Australia reports.
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aviators prepare for a flight on the E-7A Wedgetail aircraft during Exercise High Sierra 23 at RAAF Base Townsville in Queensland. (LAC Ryan Howell/RAAF)
The aircraft will be sent as part of Operation Kudu, the Australian Defence Force’s commitment to the training of Ukrainian recruits in the United Kingdom.
The Australian government has already been providing direct military aid to Ukraine, including shipments of armored vehicles and artillery pieces, as well as training support.
Earlier, Albanese announced Australia will sell locally made heavy armoured vehicles to Germany under a $1 billion defence export deal.
The prime minister met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin ahead of the NATO summit in Lithuania.
More than 100 Brisbane-made Boxer heavy weapon carriers will be sold to Germany, one of the largest defence export deals in Australia’s history.
“This is good for our defence, this is good for our national sovereignty, but it’s also good for our economy,” he told reporters in Berlin.
Albanese said the sale of the vehicles, made by German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall, would be worth more than $1b to the Australian economy.
Germany’s military is also planning to send troops to Australia for the first time later this month, where they will take part in the multi-national Exercise Talisman Sabre, as Breitbart News reported.
WATCH: RAAF E 7A Wedgetail Sets Record 17-Hour Flight During Mission Over Iraq and Syria
Australia remains one of the highest contributors of aid to Ukraine outside NATO with a total donation of $790m, including $610m in direct military assistance.
Canberra has committed 70 military vehicles, including 28 M113 armoured vehicles, 14 special operations vehicles, 28 MAN 40M medium trucks and 14 trailers; a new supply of 105mm artillery ammunition; and $10m to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – for the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund – to assist in the provision of shelter, health services, water and sanitation.