Germany supplies Ukraine with Sea King helicopters and extensive aid package
Sea King helicopter (Illustrative photo: EPA)

Germany has provided Ukraine with a new package of military aid, including, for the first time, multipurpose Sea King Mk41 helicopters to Ukrainian defenders, as announced by the German government, although Ukraine has not yet reported the receipt of these helicopters.

The list of assistance already provided includes:

→ 6 multipurpose Sea King Mk41 helicopters with spare parts;
→ Missiles for IRIS-T SLS;
→ 450 anti-slip chains (worn on wheels);
→ 194,000 group rations;

The department notes that some of the deliveries require modernization or are still in production, and training activities are being conducted.

These deliveries include:

→ 24 armored transport vehicles;
→ Four Bandvagn 206 tracked all-terrain vehicles;
→ 1,040 155mm caliber ammunition;
→ Three WISENT 1 mine-clearing tanks;
→ One BEAVER bridge layer tank with spare parts;
→ 14 mine sweepers;
→ One naval mine-clearing system;
→ One Satcom satellite communication system;
→ Four vehicles for the border service;
→ 16 mine sweepers (allocated separately from the previous 14, possibly a different model, as noted by the editor).

REFERENCE
The German Sea King Mk41 helicopters were created by the British company Westland Helicopters under a license from the American Sikorsky. In total, the British company delivered 22 such helicopters to Germany by 1974, and after upgrades in 1986-1988, these helicopters gained the capability to carry short-range (3-25 km) Sea Skua anti-ship missiles. Currently, in Germany, these helicopters perform various tasks, including search and rescue, transportation, disaster relief, tactical land-sea transportation, evacuation, observation, reconnaissance, and maritime support. They are planned to be replaced by helicopters from the Franco-German company Eurocopter NH-90, a model introduced in 2006.

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