Intelligence for Ukraine: Australia deploys radar detection aircraft to Poland
Photo: Australia deploys radiation detection aircraft to Poland (flickr.com/photos_leadc)
Australia will deploy a radiation detection aircraft to Poland to provide Ukraine and NATO member states with information on Russian military targets, News.com.au reports.
"We have been able to announce that we will be deploying an E-7 Wedgetail to Poland in August for a three-month rotation, which will help support Ukraine in its struggle and defiance against Russia. There will be about 100 Australian personnel who come with that asseе," Marles says.
According to him, the aircraft and the support team will be based at a military base in Poland and will work in coordination with the air forces of allied countries.
"We are obviously focused on the Indo Pacific in terms of our own strategic landscape, but what’s happening here in Europe is having an influence on the strategic landscape in the Indo Pacific," he adds.
He also emphasizes that as Australia seeks to focus on the Indo-Pacific, it is really important to keep an eye on what is happening in Europe.
E-7 Wedgetail
The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail is an early warning and control aircraft developed from the Boeing 737 Next Generation. It has a fixed active electronically scanned radar antenna. The E-7 was specially designed for the Royal Australian Air Force.
The Italian Air Force, the UAE Air Force, and the Qatar Air Force have also considered purchasing such aircraft. The US Air Force is also considering the purchase of this aircraft to replace its fleet of outdated Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft in order to avoid spending money on the development of a new aircraft. The contract may be signed as early as this year.
