We don’t need your flying trash’: Misunderstanding scuttles transfer of 41 Australian Hornets to UA

The New Voice of Ukraine
Thu, February 1, 2024 at 4:07 AM PST·3 min read
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A senior Ukrainian Air Force official refused an offer from two Australians to receive 41 of the country’s decommissioned F/A-18 Hornet fighters, bluntly stating that "we do not need your flying trash," reported the Australian Financial Review on Jan. 30.

This statement effectively killed the deal, highlighting a stark misunderstanding between Australia and Ukraine amid Ukrainian pilots' desperate attempts to evade Russian aircraft.

Read also: Germany to provide Ukraine with military helicopters

The incident occurred as Ukraine was navigating the challenges of avoiding Russian fighters, revealing a significant miscommunication between the two nations.

Australia stands as the world’s seventh-largest military spender based on purchasing power, according to the Lowy Institute. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed that Australia is among the top military aid donors to Ukraine outside NATO.

Nevertheless, the relationship between two countries’ military has been strained by reluctance from Australian Defence Ministry to fulfill Ukraine's requests for surplus equipment. This includes the MRH-90 Taipan helicopters, which were already being dismantled when Ukraine requested them in December.

Unlike many other countries, Australia has chosen not to reopen its embassy in Kyiv, diminishing direct contact between the nations

Ukraine's government, including President Volodymyr Zelensky and his advisors, sends mixed signals about its military needs, complicating negotiations.

The idea of Australia providing Hornet fighters was initially proposed in March last year, and by two months later, news emerged that the U.S. government was "favorably disposed" towards the transfer of the aircraft, which had been in service with the Royal Australian Air Force since 1984 and were retired in 2021.

The Hornets, designed for aircraft carriers, have robust landing gears suitable for Ukraine's war-damaged runways, enabling them to take off and land on short strips.

Ukraine, however, began discussions with the U.S. and European governments for the less robust F-16 Fighting Falcons, fearing the logistical challenges of operating two types of foreign fighters simultaneously.

IMF raises Russia growth outlook as war boosts economy New 2024 forecast of 2.6% rise doubles previous prediction and prompts questions over sanctions against Moscow The IMF’s prediction paints a stronger picture of the Russian economy’s immediate outlook than even the Kremlin’s own forecasters © Maxim Shemetov/Reuters IMF raises Russia growth outlook as war boosts economy on x (opens in a new window) IMF raises Russia growth outlook as war boosts economy on facebook (opens in a new window) IMF raises Russia growth outlook as war boosts economy on linkedin (opens in a new window) Save current progress 0% Sam Fleming in London, Claire Jones in Washington and Max Seddon in Riga JANUARY 30 2024

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The IMF’s prediction paints a stronger picture of the Russian economy’s immediate outlook than even the Kremlin’s own forecasters. Russia’s conservative central bank forecast growth of just 0.5-1.5 per cent in 2024 last November, a drop from 2.2-2.7 per cent in 2023. The more bullish economy ministry has said growth in 2023 may reach 3.5 per cent but expects a smaller rise of 2.3 per cent this year. Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, the IMF’s chief economist, said the new projections remained “somewhat preliminary” as the fund’s economists attempted to validate Russian statistics. “It is definitely the case that the Russian economy has been doing better than we were expecting and many others were expecting,” he told the Financial Times in an interview. This could be explained by the strong stimulus provided by government spending in the Russian “war economy”, he said. Firm commodity prices were helping to hold up fossil fuel-related export revenues and were an important contributor to overall activity. But Gourinchas warned that in the longer term the potential growth of the Russian economy was likely to be lower than before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago.