Australia to deploy surveillance aircraft to assist Ukraine

Australia will deploy a Royal Australian Air Force surveillance aircraft to Germany to support Ukraine by protecting a humanitarian and military gateway outside its territory, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday.

The deployment of the E-7A Wedgetail aircraft for six months will include up to 100 Australian crew and support personnel, Albanese told a press conference in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The aircraft, a show of Australia's commitment to upholding the rules-based international order, will help protect the multinational logistics hubs "essential to the flow of military and humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine," he said.

Australia's support for Ukraine and international order

"This contribution is very significant, both for what it will do but also for what it symbolizes, which is Australia's commitment to doing what we can to provide the appropriate resources" that will maximize the country's support for Ukraine.

The aircraft will not enter Ukrainian, Russian, or Belarusian airspace, according to a statement issued by Albanese's office.

The Wedgetail combines long-range surveillance radar, secondary radar and tactical voice and data communications systems to provide airborne early warning and control, Australia's defense force said.

Albanese's Berlin visit: Defense export deal and NATO summit

While in Berlin, Albanese also attended the signing of an in-principle agreement to deliver more than 100 Australian-made Boxer armed carriers to Germany in one of Canberra's largest defense export deals.

On Tuesday, Albanese will attend a summit of NATO leaders in Lithuania, to which Australia has been invited as an Indo-Pacific Four partner, along with Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.

He will address the NATO summit on Wednesday.

A NATO partner since 2014, after contributing to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Australia has agreed a new three-year partnership program, Australian officials said.