News Feed

Media: Australia considers sending F/A-18 fighter jets to Ukraine

1 min read
Media: Australia considers sending F/A-18 fighter jets to Ukraine
F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet. (Source: dvidshub.net/Wikimedia Commons)

Australia may send its 41 retired F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) wrote on June 6.

Canberra is reportedly discussing this possibility with its American and Ukrainian partners.

aThe transfer would require permission from the U.S., as it owns intellectual property on the F/A-18s. According to the report, Washington is "favorably disposed to the idea."

The retired Hornets of the Royal Australian Air Force are currently scheduled to be scrapped or sold to a private company, as they are to be replaced by 72 fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets.

Robert Potter, an Australian security expert advising the Ukrainian government, confirmed that negotiations were underway, but a specific deal is yet to be finalized, the AFR wrote.

The bulk of the planes would take little work to be brought up to flying conditions, while others could be cannibalized for scrap parts.

The U.S. has already joined a coalition to provide Ukraine with American-made aircraft, the F-16s.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier on June 6 that Kyiv's military is expected to receive a "significant number" of F-16 jets.

Finland rules out transfer of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine
Finnish Yle news reports on April 12 that the discussion about the transfer of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets abroad is “currently irrelevant.”
Article image
Avatar
Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

Read more
News Feed
Video

The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York speaks with former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton about U.S. President Donald Trump’s failure to bring peace to Ukraine — and his next steps on Russia's war.

Show More
OSZAR »