Ukraine’s pitch to Australia: Use our army as your guinea pig

Ukraine has launched a bold bid for its army to be used as a “guinea pig” for cutting-edge Australian military technology as it seeks to gain a crucial battlefield advantage over Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces.

With the war raging past its sixth month, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, is lobbying the Albanese government to send a fleet of 30 newly built protected mobility vehicles, known as Hawkeis, to the war zone.

Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko is calling for more support from the Australian government for the fight against Russia. Credit: Kate Geraghty

The patrol vehicles – which owe their name to late prime minister Bob Hawke – have been designed and manufactured specially for the Australian Defence Force at defence contractor Thales’ facility in Bendigo, Victoria.

After experiencing technical problems during the construction phase, the four-wheel drive vehicles are not expected to reach full operational capability until next year.

Although they are untested on the battlefield, Myroshnychenko said a fleet of Hawkeis would make a valuable contribution to the war effort on top of the 60 Bushmaster troop carriers Australia has already committed to Ukraine.

“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 recent visit to the Thales manufacturing plant.

“They’re still in testing mode and are now being introduced into the Australian Defence Force.

“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.”

Myroshnychenko said he would present his proposal at an upcoming meeting with Defence Minister Richard Marles, describing the idea as a “win-win” for both countries.

“They help us [in the war] and we help you make them more adaptable to a wartime environment,” he said.

The Hawkei protected mobility vehicles have been designed and manufactured at Thales’ Bendigo site in Victoria.

Marles declined to comment as the government and Defence Department await details of the proposal.

Myroshnychenko said he would also request Australia send another 30 Bushmasters to Ukraine on top of the 60 vehicles the government has already committed to provide.

In July, the government announced it would provide an additional $100 million in military assistance to Ukraine, taking Australia’s total contribution to the war effort to $385 million.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month thanked Australia for its “significant support”, but urged the government to provide more assistance as the war continues.

The Hawkei has significant advantages over other vehicles, including the fact it can be transported by helicopter directly to the battlefield. Credit: Department of Defence

“It’s a struggle of tyranny against democracy, so you can’t stand aside if you support common principles with Ukraine,” he said in an address to the Australian National University.

The Australian government is spending $1.3 billion on a fleet of 1100 Hawkeis to replace most of the army’s fleet of blast-protected Land Rovers. The last of the vehicles rolled off the production line at Bendigo last month.

The vehicles, which can carry up to six soldiers, have removable armour and optional mounts for weapons including automatic grenade launchers.

Importantly, they are light enough to be transported by helicopter, allowing them to be airlifted directly onto the battlefield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Australia for its “significant support” while urging the government to provide more assistance. Credit: ANU

Defence Force chief Angus Campbell has described the Hawkei as a “very versatile vehicle, at the leading edge globally of this kind of capability”. But the rollout of the technology was marred by technical difficulties and delays.

The Defence Department identified problems with the Hawkei’s braking system in 2020 and announced it would stop accepting vehicles from Thales while the issues were investigated.

Then-defence minister Peter Dutton announced in July last year that the braking problem had been resolved, allowing operating restrictions to be lifted and full-scale production to recommence.

In a brutal report released last year, the Australian National Audit Office found Defence had not demonstrated the Hawkei acquisition provided value for taxpayers’ money.

The government could have saved hundreds of millions of dollars by sticking with a previous United States contract for new light vehicles, the office found.

The vehicles are named after Acanthophis hawkei, a species of death adder named in honour of former prime minister Bob Hawke.

A Thales spokeswoman declined to comment on Myroshnychenko’s proposal, saying any decision on exporting the vehicles overseas would be a matter for the government.

Myroshnychenko said he was also urging Australia to “adopt” a particular region of Ukraine and focus its reconstruction assistance on that area.

The vehicles are named after Acanthophis hawkei, a species of death adder named in honour of former prime minister Bob Hawke.

He called for Australia and New Zealand to concentrate their support on the port city of Mykolaiv. Other countries such as Portugal, the United Kingdom and Greece have already adopted other regions in Ukraine.

“There will be a lot that you can do with the ports, shipyards and grain storage facilities but also regular infrastructure like schools and hospitals which have been destroyed in large numbers,” he said.

“This is the basic stuff you need to allow people to return to the cities. I want a piece of something left for Australia because it would be a shame if everyone else is involved and you’re not.”

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