Campaigners will gather Sunday at Sydney Town Hall for a rally to urge Australia to send unwanted helicopters to Ukraine. The Australian Defence Force plans to decommission 45 Taipan helicopters later this year and replace them with U.S.-made Blackhawks.
Australia’s entire fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters was grounded after a crash during a multinational military exercise off the coast of Queensland state in July.
Officials have said that the aircraft will not return to "flying operations" before they are due to be withdrawn from active service in December of this year. The Taipans will be replaced by U.S.-made Blackhawk helicopters. Starting next year, the new Apache helicopters will also be introduced into service for the Australian army.
Ukraine has asked Australia about using the European-designed Taipan helicopters for its war against Russia. However, Australian officials have said the aircraft will be dismantled as planned and buried at an Australian defense site because of concerns over the safety and reliability of the aging Taipan fleet.
Campaigners Sunday will gather in Sydney to change the government's mind.
Stefan Romaniw, the co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations told VOA that the aircraft would help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion.
"The way to support Ukraine now would be to give those Taipan helicopters," he said. "They need to fight the war in the air. The air is very, very important to Ukraine’s winning of this war. Therefore, the callout is, support Ukraine now, send the Taipan helicopters ASAP [as soon as possible]."
Australia has promised to provide military support to Ukraine for "2024 and beyond."
Acting Defense Minister Matt Thistlethwaite told local media that "Australia is one of the strongest supporters of the people of Ukraine and their military and their effort to resist the illegal and unprovoked aggression and invasion by Russia."
Australia is one of the largest non-NATO contributors to Ukraine’s war effort.
Canberra has also imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian politicians, military commanders and businesspeople.
