Germany will donate six multi-purpose helicopters to Ukraine, Berlin said on Tuesday, boosting Kyiv's assets in the Black Sea against Russia's naval fleet.
Kyiv will receive six Sea King Mk41 helicopters from the German armed forces, which are expected to arrive in the country in the next six months, the German Defense Ministry said.
The Sea King is a "a proven and robust helicopter that will help the Ukrainians in many areas: from reconnaissance over the Black Sea to transporting soldiers," said German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius.
Germany announced the planned delivery of the helicopters at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, with around 50 of Kyiv's allies coordinating support for the country.
"It is the first German delivery of its kind," Pistorius added.
"Thank you, Germany!" Ukraine's defense ministry said in a post to X. "Together, we are stronger!"
Berlin describes the Sea King as a "workhorse of naval aviation" and they have been operational since the mid-1970s. Originally designed to transport troops and equipment and to conduct sea rescue missions, the Sea King has a range of around 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). The all-weather, amphibious helicopters can be kitted out with heavy machine guns for special forces missions, Germany said.
The Sea Kings will improve Ukraine's airborne and naval aviation capabilities in and around the Black Sea, a key battleground in the nearly two year-old war. Kyiv has mounted repeated attacks against Moscow's Black Sea fleet, partly based on the annexed Crimean Peninsula, using its special forces to carry out amphibious landings on the territory.
Ukraine has managed to largely stop Russia's fleet operating in the western Black Sea, its missiles and drones making the area dangerous for Moscow's naval forces, the British Defense Ministry said on Monday.
Earlier this month, Australia said it would not send its now-retired fleet of Taipan helicopters to Ukraine, despite a request from Kyiv to take them on. Australia retired the Taipans in 2023 after a fatal training exercise crash that killed four people.
"The Ukrainians desperately need military helicopters," Michael Shoebridge, the director of defense and security think tank, Strategic Analysis Australia, told Sky News Australia.
However, the helicopters are not in "flying condition," said Australia's defense industry minister, Pat Conroy.
Germany's Pistorius said on Tuesday that Berlin would also supplement Ukraine's air defenses, delivering more IRIT-T systems and Gepard anti-aircraft guns as part of the €6 billion ($6.5 billion) of military aid committed to Kyiv since February 2022. Germany is Europe's biggest contributor of military equipment to Ukraine, but has faced criticism over its refusal to send long-range Taurus missiles to the country.
Maintaining Ukraine's air defenses is a "number 1 priority," the German defense minister added.
Germany and France said in November they would take the lead in strengthening Ukraine's air defenses, bolstering Kyiv's ground-based network.
Ukraine uses a variety of air defense systems, ranging from the U.S.-provided Patriots that have intercepted Russian hypersonic missiles, to large-caliber machine guns that have often been used to shoot down the Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drones that Moscow frequently launches at the war-torn country.
"This year, the main priority is to strengthen air defense to protect our cities and towns, as well as defend frontline positions, which will have an impact on the strategic situation and the war effort as a whole," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
