Australia rejects Ukraine helicopter request
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 900
Likes: 26
From: The Wild West... and Oz
Guest
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,260
Likes: 180
It's a pretty thin excuse. If you're disposing of a useful military asset at the moment, the first question you should be asking is "would this be useful to UKR", not "can I sell it for parts to make some money back"
Joined: Sep 2002
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,722
Likes: 637
From: Great South East, tired and retired
We have an idiot as minister for Defence and a PM who doesn't want to upset China, Russia or any muslims. They couldn't get them fully serviceable in how many years, but manage to get them all totally unserviceable in a few months. So poor.
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,581
Likes: 73
From: England
Fair enough their choice.
Our choice when China comes knocking on Australias door.
Joined: Aug 2009
Aviation Qualifications: Military
Posts: 9,337
Likes: 2,185
From: Texas
eric, I appreciate the sentiment (I too find the choice to bury them unfortunate) but I am pretty sure that Oz isn't looking to the UK as their primary ally/support if and when China comes knocking, all AUKUS considered.
Based on some of the nuttier logistics and systems decisions that over the years have happened over here in the land of Yanks, I am going to guess that someone ran a spread sheet / calculation on what it would cost to box them up and ship them to Ukraine from OZ, along with spares and tools, etc.
It was discovered that it would cost more money than they wanted to part with.
(And maybe someone knew someone who could bury them at a certain price and a deal was in the works?)
Getting someone else to cover the shipping may not have occurred to the functionary who was looking into this...
There's a supply/logistics nuttery thread in MIl Aviation with similar stores of "Wait, you did what?" as regards that side of mil aviation. This seems to fit in a similar category.
Based on some of the nuttier logistics and systems decisions that over the years have happened over here in the land of Yanks, I am going to guess that someone ran a spread sheet / calculation on what it would cost to box them up and ship them to Ukraine from OZ, along with spares and tools, etc.
It was discovered that it would cost more money than they wanted to part with.
(And maybe someone knew someone who could bury them at a certain price and a deal was in the works?)
Getting someone else to cover the shipping may not have occurred to the functionary who was looking into this...
There's a supply/logistics nuttery thread in MIl Aviation with similar stores of "Wait, you did what?" as regards that side of mil aviation. This seems to fit in a similar category.
Guest
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 840
Likes: 236
they would sell well on ebay, for people converting them into AirBnB places.
eg
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/2092...y-airbnb-army/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...mping-pod.html
eg
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/2092...y-airbnb-army/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...mping-pod.html
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,581
Likes: 73
From: England
eric, I appreciate the sentiment (I too find the choice to bury them unfortunate) but I am pretty sure that Oz isn't looking to the UK as their primary ally/support if and when China comes knocking, all AUKUS considered.
Based on some of the nuttier logistics and systems decisions that over the years have happened over here in the land of Yanks, I am going to guess that someone ran a spread sheet / calculation on what it would cost to box them up and ship them to Ukraine from OZ, along with spares and tools, etc.
It was discovered that it would cost more money than they wanted to part with.
(And maybe someone knew someone who could bury them at a certain price and a deal was in the works?)
Getting someone else to cover the shipping may not have occurred to the functionary who was looking into this...
There's a supply/logistics nuttery thread in MIl Aviation with similar stores of "Wait, you did what?" as regards that side of mil aviation. This seems to fit in a similar category.
Based on some of the nuttier logistics and systems decisions that over the years have happened over here in the land of Yanks, I am going to guess that someone ran a spread sheet / calculation on what it would cost to box them up and ship them to Ukraine from OZ, along with spares and tools, etc.
It was discovered that it would cost more money than they wanted to part with.
(And maybe someone knew someone who could bury them at a certain price and a deal was in the works?)
Getting someone else to cover the shipping may not have occurred to the functionary who was looking into this...
There's a supply/logistics nuttery thread in MIl Aviation with similar stores of "Wait, you did what?" as regards that side of mil aviation. This seems to fit in a similar category.
Who is going to be Australias primary support, America?
Looking less and less likely with America not wanting to be the worlds fireman.
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 549
Likes: 14
From: The South
If they had given them to Ukraine and the Ukrainians had demonstrated high serviceability in a combat environment, how red faced would the Australians be?
Like a cheap crime drama, best to bury the evidence.
Like a cheap crime drama, best to bury the evidence.
Joined: Apr 2001
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,918
Likes: 609
From: surfing, watching for sharks
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,581
Likes: 73
From: England
Europe is a major arms supplier and I suspect it's order books will be getting full. Where in the queue do you want to be.
Maybe the British might get involved, however unlikely as our armed forces have been run down so badly by the incompetents running the show that we can hardly defend ourselves.
Administrator
Joined: Apr 2015
Aviation Qualifications: Military
Posts: 2,969
Likes: 1,611
From: The Gulf Coast
While they may be feeling overburdened in Washington of late, does not the recent AUKUS activity suggest that the Americans are prioritizing their relationship with Australia and the Pacific?
(And didn't they conclude an Apache (AH-64) sale to Australia recently?)
Europe is a major arms supplier and I suspect it's order books will be getting full. Where in the queue do you want to be.
Fair enough.
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 327
Likes: 40
From: Melbourne, Australia
Update on these helicopters, of note is the high-up maintenance chief who said he'd volunteer his personal time to get them back to being serviceable, but lots of parts are already gone and sold off.
Ukraine was also offered 41 Australian F-18 Hornets but rejected them as "flying trash".
Ukraine was also offered 41 Australian F-18 Hornets but rejected them as "flying trash".
Joined: Oct 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 7,373
Likes: 931
From: Den Haag
Ukraine was also offered 41 Australian F-18 Hornets but rejected them as "flying trash".
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 132
Likes: 6
From: N/A
This is the only logical explanation, along with the slight risk that something would happen in a Taipan and our bleeding hearts would blame Australia for the loss, no matter the benefit it brought. The Ukrainians would have those machines running and working great and it would expose how useless all levels of Australian military and government are compared to the rest of the world, nobody in the top brass wants that.