Australian plane gave NATO 'invaluable' boost during Russian incursion

Australia's E-7A Wedgetail aircraft have a radar with a range of 400 kilometres. (Supplied: Department of Defence) Australia's Wedgetail military surveillance plane gave "critical" information to NATO as it responded to an incursion by Russian fighter jets over Estonia in September. A European official says they would welcome Australia's government deploying the aircraft to Europe again. It is not clear if Australia will send a Wedgetail to Europe later this year, and the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has placed new demands on the fleet of six aircraft. Link copiedShareShare articleA sophisticated Australian military surveillance plane sent to help Ukraine last year provided "critical" information to NATO during an incursion by Russian fighter jets over Estonia, with a European official saying they'd be "very happy" if the government deployed the aircraft to Europe again in the future. The government sent a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Europe from July to October last year. The surveillance plane deployed 45 times in that period, monitoring supply lines delivering international aid to Ukraine and conducting missions to monitor potential threats. The Wedgetail has a sophisticated reconnaissance capability, including a radar with a range of some 400 kilometres. An official from a European country told the ABC its value was highlighted when NATO scrambled to respond to an extraordinary incursion of Russian jets into Estonian airspace on September 19 last year. An E-7A Wedgetail and its crew returned to RAAF Base Williamtown late last year after operating from Poland. (Supplied: Department of Defence) Three Italian fighter jets attached to NATO intercepted the Russian jets and warned them off, while Sweden and Finland also scrambled aircraft. Defence has previously confirmed that the Wedgetail was in the air over Europe at the time, and one European official said it provided "invaluable" information which "NATO wouldn't have [otherwise] had" during the 12-minute-long incursion. Defence declined to give details about the role played by the Wedgetail on September 19, but said the plane was "one of the most advanced airborne early-warning systems in the world". One of Australia's most sophisticated military surveillance planes will be deployed to the Middle East. "With its long-range reconnaissance capability, the Australian detachment maintained vigilant oversight of Eastern Europe, delivering valuable intelligence to help NATO keep the assistance corridor open," a defence spokesperson said. "Due to operational security requirements, further details cannot be provided." The Chief of the Defence Force Admiral David Johnston also called the Wedgetail a "gem of an aircraft". "It has radar detection capabilities that exceed most other airborne early warning and control platforms, and because it's a newer aircraft, it is more reliable than some of the older equivalents that have been in service much longer," he said. Australia also deployed a Wedgetail to Germany for about five months in 2023 and 2024, providing similar support to Ukraine and Europe. But at this stage, it's not clear if Australia will send a Wedgetail to Europe later this year. The war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has placed new demands on the fleet of six aircraft, with the government sending a Wedgetail to the Middle East in March to provide "long-range reconnaissance capability to help secure airspace above the Gulf". The European official said while they weren't aware of any specific requests to Australia, Europe and NATO would welcome the aircraft's return, particularly as the war in Ukraine grinds on and Baltic countries eye the threat of Russian aggression. Estonia's ambassador to Australia, Jaan Reinhold, told the ABC that his country "considers Australia a highly valuable partner to NATO and is grateful for Australia's contributions to assisting Ukraine". "As Russia's brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has shown, the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific are inextricably linked. What happens in one theatre is not contained to it," he said. "It's therefore in the interest of all parties, NATO, Estonia and Australia, that such cooperation continue. Australia's fleet of world-leading surveillance aircraft is set to be replaced and analysts say the planes could be replaced by drones. "Any further Australian contributions would certainly be welcomed by Estonia." Australian Defence Force personnel are also continuing to train Ukrainian soldiers in the United Kingdom and Poland. The Defence spokesperson said Australia "remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia's illegal invasion" but didn't say if the government was contemplating any future Wedgetail deployments to Europe. The government has flagged in its most recent national defence strategy that it would begin work to replace the Wedgetail with a "next gene

Australian plane gave NATO 'invaluable' boost during Russian incursion

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