AUSTRALIA has joined an international drone coalition to help Ukraine’s war effort, joining allies such as the UK and Latvia.
“Making our contribution to the effort to ensure that Ukraine remains standing and able to resolve this conflict on its own terms,” said Australia’s defense minister, Richard Marles.
Ukraine has relied on massive use of drones to compensate for a lack of artillery shells in the face of a Russian invasion.
In this two-year war, hundreds of thousands of drones have been deployed for various missions, ranging from attacking targets hundreds of kilometers away, recognition, to attacking nearby enemy troops.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised to produce one million drones this year. Ukrainian officials have told AFP the armed forces need between 100,000-120,000 drones per month, so outside help is essential.
Australia announced this when Canberra hosted the British defense minister, Grant Shapps.
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Last month, the United Kingdom and Latvia agreed to lead a drone coalition aimed at providing Ukraine with thousands of additional unmanned drones.
Shapps said drones were almost invisible when the war started, but were “now playing an increasingly significant and sophisticated role”.
“Countries investing in the drone coalition are not only doing so for Ukraine – although that is the main goal – but also because it has the potential to bring major technological improvements and advances to our home market,” Shapps added.
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Further details of Australia’s commitment are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
London has said it will allocate £200 million (US$250 million) to provide “the largest drone exhibition given to Ukraine by any country”.
The drones most commonly used on the battlefield, provided by the United Kingdom to Ukraine in thousands, are called First Person View (FPV) drones.
They allow pilots to see live images of the ground, locate enemy units, and, if equipped with explosives, attack them from several kilometers away.
Australia operates several surveillance and other drones, and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the development of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat drone, which can travel thousands of kilometers. (AFP/Z-3)
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