Ukraine May Acquire Retired Australian F/A-18 Hornet Fighters Pending US Approval
Ukraine is in high level talks with Australia and the United States discussing the fate of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) decommissioned F/A-18 Hornets. The Hornets are ready to be scrapped but could, instead, be sent to Ukraine to assist in their war effort. If an agreement is reached it would be the largest single transfer of military technology to a foreign country in Australia’s history.
This comes after the US had given permission to its allies to supply Ukraine with fighter jets, such as the US-made F-16s.
The retired Australian aircraft are planned to be scrapped for parts, with some being sent to the US for training purposes, however, some are also being sold to a private company RAVN Aerospace.
RAVN Aerospace, a Houston-based aerospace company has paid a deposit on 41 Hornets after the RAAF retired them, and is willing to ‘on-sell’ the fighters to Ukraine. RAVN cannot do so however, without the approval of the US government, as the fighters contain American intellectual property, designed by US-based companies McDonnell Douglas and Northrop Corporation (before its merger with Grumman).
Australian media has said Australian security advisors to the Ukrainian government have confirmed negotiations are underway between the two countries, however, there is no specific deal in place just yet.
Kyiv has agreed and assured the US that it would not deploy Australian F/A-18 Hornets into Russian airspace, and would purely be used for Ukrainian air defence only if the aircraft were to be transferred.
The opposition in Australia’s Parliament have been voicing the concerns and frustrations of those in the Ukrainian community that the government has been slow to show support for Ukraine, and has issued a letter to the government which urges them to “urgently deliver a new and comprehensive package of support to the people of Ukraine”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to reveal a long-awaited military support package for Ukraine, however, it is speculated that the transfer of the multi-role fighters will not be included in the announcement.