Australia will provide Ukraine with 14 boats to bolster its maritime defense.

Australia will provide Ukraine with 14 high-speed maneuverable RHIBs with a rigid hull as part of its defense assistance. These boats are the Royal Australian Navy's Sentinel 830R.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the Australian Ministry of Defence.

The Australian defense agency noted that the latest military support package for Ukraine, valued at 14 million dollars, "will strengthen Ukraine's maritime and coastal defense, which is a crucial operational area for the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

"These vessels from the Australian Defence Force will provide Ukraine with fast and highly maneuverable maritime capabilities," the ministry stated.

The Australian Ministry of Defence added that this announcement regarding the delivery of boats builds on previous contributions to enhancing Ukraine's naval capabilities, including rigid-hulled inflatable boats, as announced by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles earlier this year.

The Australian ministry emphasized that the assistance is part of the government's ongoing commitment to "support Ukraine in its defense against Russia's unlawful invasion."

"Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, Australia has provided over 1.3 billion dollars in military support and more than 1.5 billion dollars in total support to the Ukrainian government," the Ministry of Defence reported.

According to Australian Deputy Prime Minister Marles, supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression is in Australia's interest, and "it is the right thing to do."

"Ukraine has demonstrated its ability to thwart ongoing Russian attacks from the Black Sea. We are proud to contribute to this vital maritime defense with this new package," the official stated.

The Royal Australian Navy's S20240933, S20243401 boats (photo: defence.gov.au)

Note: Sentinel 830R RHIBs are rigid-hulled inflatable boats manufactured by Sentinel Boats, an Australian boat maker that produces high-quality military, rescue, and commercial vessels.

Australia's Assistance to Ukraine

Following Russia's large-scale invasion, Australia has been providing Ukraine with assistance across various sectors, including defense.

In April of this year, it became known that the Australian government allocated a military aid package worth 100 million dollars for Ukraine. At that time, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal explained that half of this amount would be directed towards a large batch of RBS 70 NG MANPADS. Additionally, over 30 million dollars would be allocated for drones as part of the "drone coalition."

In May, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasily Myroshnychenko, reported that Canberra would transfer high-speed Sentinel 830R RHIBs to Kyiv, which would be included in a new 100 million dollar aid package for Ukraine.

Just recently, it was announced that Australia has transferred several Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended-Range (JDAM-ER) glide bombs to Ukraine. These munitions were previously retired from service by the Royal Australian Air Force.