Australia deploys a surveillance aircraft to help protect Ukraine from Russia’s invasion

Australia will deploy a surveillance aircraft for logistical support to Ukraine, but it will not enter war-torn airspace.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement during a visit to Germany ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania.

Mr Albanese will meet the leaders of New Zealand, Japan and South Korea on Tuesday on the sidelines of a military alliance meeting in Vilnius to discuss the war in Ukraine.

The Royal Australian Air Force’s E-7A Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft will help protect multinational logistics hubs to ensure the uninterrupted flow of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Mr Albanese said.

The aircraft will be deployed for six months with a base in Germany and will operate within European airspace while avoiding the territory of Ukraine, Russia or Belarus.

The Wedgetail combines long-range surveillance radar, secondary radar and tactical voice and data communications systems to provide airborne early warning and control, the Australian Defense Force said.

Mr Albanese said the deployment will include up to 100 crew and support personnel from Australia.

“This shows Australia’s commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order,” he told reporters in Berlin on Monday.

The aircraft will be dispatched as part of Operation Kudu, the Australian Defense Force’s deployment to the training of Ukrainian recruits in the United Kingdom.

Earlier, Mr Albanese announced that Australia will sell locally made armored vehicles to Germany under a $1 billion defense export deal.

The Prime Minister met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin ahead of the NATO summit.

More than 100 Brisbane-made Boxer heavy armor carriers will be sold to Germany in one of the largest defense export deals in Australia’s history.

The Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail (above) will help ensure the uninterrupted flow of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine

“This is good for our defense, this is good for our national sovereignty, but it is also good for our economy,” he told reporters in Berlin.

Mr Albanese said sales of the vehicles, made by German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall, would be worth more than $1 billion to the Australian economy.

Both leaders declined to comment on the United States’ decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, a type of weapon banned by more than 100 countries, including Germany and Australia, as part of an international convention.

Mr. Scholz called it “a sovereign decision of the United States of America … we can say that we would not make such deliveries because we made this commitment, and I will not comment further on this US decision.”

Mr Albanese said Australia has also signed the international convention.

“We have no such weapons and we do not intend to change that position, and I agree with the Chancellor’s comments about what other countries can do,” he said.

The Prime Minister on Monday reaffirmed Australia’s support for the Ukrainian government and people.

“This is about the people of Ukraine, who are struggling to defend their democracy and their sovereignty,” he said.

Australia will also sell over 100 Brisbane-made Boxer heavy armor carriers (above) to Germany, one of the largest defense export deals in Australian history

Mr Albanese’s three-day visit to Europe includes a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

He will also meet the leaders of Japan and South Korea, who have been invited to the NATO summit.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko thanked Albanian and said Ukraine was grateful for the military and humanitarian assistance.