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The Commonwealth government has been encouraged to consider gifting a fleet of the patrol vehicles to Ukraine in support of the ongoing fight against Russia.
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Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, has advocated for the delivery of 30 Thales-built Hawkei protected mobility vehicles (PMVs) to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Described as a “win-win” arrangement, the deal would enable the Australian Army to test the newly built vehicles in a live warzone before official deployment with the Australian Army.
“The Hawkeis are really impressive: they’re smaller, they’re faster, they’re nimble and they’re brand new,” Myroshnychenko told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age following a visit to Thales’ manufacturing facility.
“…In my mind, we could make use of 30 of those to test them in the battlefield, see how they perform, and we’ll provide invaluable feedback to the Australian defence forces for you to improve those vehicles.”
Ukraine’s battle-hardened experiences with the vehicles, Myroshnychenko added, would enable Australia to make the vehicles “more adaptable to a wartime environment”.
The Australian Army’s Hawkei platforms achieved initial operating capability in July 2021, following an extensive test and evaluation process.
Under the Commonwealth government’s $2 billion LAND 121 Phase 4 project, 1,100 Hawkei vehicles and 1,058 companion trailers would be delivered to Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force units for use in command, liaison, utility and reconnaissance roles.
The vehicles have been specifically developed to meet the ADF’s requirements for survivability, mobility, payload, communications, usability and sustainability.
The 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (RAR), based in Townsville, received the first tranche of vehicles in April 2020.
In addition to the Hawkei vehicles, Myroshnychenko went on to request a further 30 Bushmasters for Ukraine, building on the 60 Bushmasters and 28 M113 armoured personnel carrier (APC) vehicles already committed to Kyiv.
Thus far, the value of Australia’s military assistance to Ukraine totals approximately $388 million, including 60 Bushmasters and 28 M113 APCs.
[Related: US actions $3bn arms deal for Ukraine]
