Ukraine asks for cutting-edge gear
Ukraine has launched a bold bid for its army to be used as a ‘‘guinea pig’’ for cutting-edge Australian military technology as it seeks to gain a crucial battlefield advantage over Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces.
With the war raging past its sixth month, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, is lobbying the Albanese government to send a fleet of 30 newly built light armoured vehicles, known as Hawkeis, to the war zone.
The patrol vehicles – which owe their name to late prime minister Bob Hawke – have been designed and manufactured specially for the Australian Defence Force at defence contractor Thales’ facility in Bendigo, Victoria.
After experiencing technical problems during the construction phase, the four-wheel drive vehicles are not expected to reach full operational capability until next year.
Although they are untested on the battlefield, Myroshnychenko said a fleet of Hawkeis would make a valuable contribution to the war effort on top of the 60 Bushmaster troop carriers Australia has already committed to Ukraine.
‘‘The Hawkeis are really impressive: they’re smaller, they’re faster, they’re nimble and they’re brand new,’’ Myroshnychenko told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age following a recent visit to the Thales manufacturing plant.
‘‘They’re still in testing mode and are now being introduced into the Australian Defence Force.
‘‘In my mind, we could make use of 30 of those to test them in the battlefield, see how they perform and we’ll provide invaluable feedback to the Australian defence forces for you to improve those vehicles.’’
Myroshnychenko said he would present his proposal at an upcoming meeting with Defence Minister Richard Marles, describing the idea as a ‘‘winwin’’ for both countries.
‘‘They help us [in the war] and we help you make them more adaptable to a wartime environment,’’ he said.
Marles declined to comment as the government and Defence Department await details of the proposal.
Myroshnychenko said he would also request Australia send another 30 Bushmasters to Ukraine on top of the 60 vehicles the government has already committed to provide.
In July, the government announced it would provide an additional A$100 million (NZ$111 million) in military assistance to Ukraine, taking Australia’s total contribution to the war effort to A$385 million. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month thanked Australia for its ‘‘significant support’’, but urged the government to provide more assistance as the war continues.