Australia joins Ukraine's drone coalition
Australia has joined the drone coalition for Ukraine, according to Defense Minister Richard Marles.
Alongside Latvia and the United Kingdom, Canberra will provide drones to the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the "drone coalition" agreement, Rubryka reports, citing The Guardian.
"Today, we also announce that Australia will participate in the drone coalition, which is being led by both the United Kingdom and Latvia," Marles said. "This is a really important opportunity for us to continue making our contribution to the effort to have Ukraine stay the course and be able to resolve this conflict on its terms."
About Australia's military aid
Despite being far from Ukraine, Australia has been assisting Ukrainians and condemning Russian aggression.
Since the start of the Russian aggression, Australia has provided Ukraine with:
- 20,000 rounds of ammunition,
- 70 M113AS4 armored personnel carriers,
- 20 Bushmaster light armored vehicles,
- 14 Switchblade combat drones,
- 30,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles, and more.
As Rubryka reported, the Australian company SPEE3D has already sent seven WarpSPEE3D metal 3D printers for the rapid production of critical spare parts for various military equipment.
Australia has also been training Ukrainian defenders under the British INTERFLEX program. This program involves Ukrainian military personnel learning the standards of the British Armed Forces.
Australia has also supplied Ukraine with cardboard drones to deliver ammunition to the front lines and conduct reconnaissance.
Australia has provided Ukraine with around a hundred remote weapon stations (RWS) worth up to $80 million.
Australian mining magnate and philanthropist Andrew Forrest and his former wife Nicola, through their Minderoo foundation, have allocated AUD$ 5 million to support demining efforts in agricultural areas of Ukraine.
Recently, it became known that Australia provided over $32 million worth of financial assistance to support Ukraine's defense.
