Royal Australian Air Force helps defend European airspace during Russian drone strikes

A high-tech Australian military surveillance plane was dispatched to skies above eastern Europe early on Sunday as Russia launched a series of devastating missile and drone strikes against Ukraine.

Flight tracking data shows the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail aircraft with the callsign “MAGPIE 01” flew out of a Polish air base and headed east towards the Ukrainian border.

The Airbourne early warning and control aircraft with up to a dozen Australian crew on board flew at around 15,000 feet during its NATO mission and was joined by an air-to-air refuelling plane which was deployed from a German airbase in Cologne.

Australia’s E-7A Wedgetail is equipped with a MESA radar which can see over 300km, offering advanced warning of Russian drone, missile and aircraft incursions into Ukrainian airspace.

On Sunday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had launched around 500 drones and more than 40 missiles during the attack which killed at least four people in the capital Kyiv.

“Moscow wants to continue fighting and killing and deserves only the harshest pressure from the world,” President Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram app.

Timur Tkachenko, head of the military administration in Kyiv, said the deaths included “a 12-year-old girl killed by Russians” and warned more deaths would likely be uncovered as rescuers searched through destroyed buildings.

In the wider Kyiv region surrounding the capital, the Russian strikes left at least 27 wounded, Mykola Kalachnyk, the military administration’s head, said on Telegram.

A Defence department spokesperson refused to comment on the RAAF mission on Sunday, but told the West Australian that “Australia remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion”.

“As announced in June, Australia has deployed a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to support NATO operations and secure the routes for humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine by protecting logistics hubs in Eastern Europe.”

“Consistent with standard practice, Defence does not comment on the specifics of deployments for operational and security reasons,” the defence spokesperson added.

Last month Poland’s Minister National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that the Australian E-7A Wedgetail would operate from his country’s 32nd Tactical Air Base in the city of Lask.

“E-7A crews will support NATO activities in protecting airspace and coordinating air operations on the Alliance’s eastern flank. This is the first E-7A mission conducted from Polish territory,” the Polish Minister said on August 1.

“The aircraft, equipped with an advanced radar, provides round-the-clock surveillance and supports the operations of allied tactical aviation. The presence of this aircraft in Poland is a practical contribution by Australia to the security of our region,” he added.

Under Operation Kudu, up to 100 Australian Defence Force personnel are deployed alongside the E-7A Wedgetail aircraft in Poland, with its mission in support of NATO expected to conclude by November this year.