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Oldie But No Goodie: West Disposes of Obsolete Weapons by Sending Them to Ukraine
Oldie But No Goodie: West Disposes of Obsolete Weapons by Sending Them to Ukraine
Sputnik International
Berlin will send six Sea King Mk41 helicopters to Ukraine with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius calling the outdated aircraft "proven and reliable."
2024-01-24T16:09+0000
2024-01-24T16:09+0000
2024-01-26T13:39+0000
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On January 23, Scholz's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the decision to supply Ukraine with German multipurpose helicopters in the wake of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's meeting. However, a key point to note is that he failed to mention that these helicopters are past their prime.What is the Sea King Mk41?The Sea King Mk41 is an aircraft that has been used by the German Navy since the 1970s. These particular Sea King Mk41s were manufactured in the UK by Westland Helicopters, under license from US manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.The German Navy ordered 22 Sea King Mk41s in June 1969 as a replacement for the Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibious seaplane. The aircraft which was meant for search, surveillance and rescue missions was supplied to Germany between April 1973 and September 1974. In 1986-1988, the German Sea Kings underwent modernization, and were equipped with the capability to carry Sea Skua anti-ship missiles.As the legacy choppers are scheduled to be replaced by the NH-90 NTH Sea Lion, the German government decided to send six of them to the Kiev regime. Remarkably, in the UK, the last remaining Sea King in service with the Royal Navy was retired almost six years ago.Who Else Sent Legacy Weapons to Kiev?Sending outdated and ill-conditioned weapons to the Ukrainian military is nothing new for the West. This convenient strategy allows NATO nations and its allies to kill two birds with one stone: showcase their "solidarity" with Ukraine and cut costs on weapon recycling.Germany. The Sea King Mk41s are not the only outdated weapons provided by Berlin to the Kiev regime. Versions of the much-lauded Leopards sent to Ukraine have not been brand new. The problem has been further exacerbated by poor logistics and a lack of spare parts. Green Party member Sebastian Schafer stated in early January that very few of the Leopard 2 tanks delivered by Berlin to Ukraine were still in service."Unfortunately, we must admit that Ukraine can now use only a small number of tanks delivered," Schafer wrote to Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann arms manufacturers.Australia. Earlier this month, the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) called upon the Australian government to deliver its retired fleet of Taipan choppers to Ukraine, instead of spending millions to bury them in landfill."Forty-five Taipan helicopters would more than double the number of helicopters Ukraine has been given since the start of the war," claimed AFUO Co-Chair Stefan Romaniw on January 12. "They could be delivered to Ukraine at a lower cost than destroying and burying them. And at a value of $920 million dollars, it would double the size of Australia’s support for Ukraine to date," he added.The Netherlands. The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on November 13, that German Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns decommissioned by the Dutch army would be transferred to Ukraine in order to combat Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The media lauded the move, saying that Gepard self-propelled guns, once sold to Jordan, will receive "new life" in Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands did not provide any comment to the publication on the matter.The German-made Gepards had been supplied to the Dutch army since the 1970s. However, since 2006, the guns have been taken out of service. Between 2013 and 2016, the Netherlands had sold their legacy Gepards to Jordan.The UK. The British government's move to send at least 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine could be driven by the same rationale. In September, the British Ministry of Defense admitted that hundreds of British Challenger 2 tanks contained potentially hazardous asbestos. As the British Ministry of Defense pledged to get rid of any asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in the near term, sending the equipment in question to Ukraine appeared to be a cost-effective solution."Ukraine has transformed into sort of a repository for outdated and sometimes even dangerous equipment, which did not undergo any certification or safety checks, and was simply provided, sometimes for the purpose of disposal, because asbestos is quite difficult to dispose of," Alexey Anpilogov, military analyst, head of the Foundation center, told Sputnik last September.France. Last September, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu told France Info that the Ukraine weapons program allowed Paris to get rid of plenty of old arms by transferring them for free to the Eastern European country. Having disposed of its outdated weaponry, the French government offered Kiev to buy new arms in November. For that, Paris allocated €200 million to fund Ukraine's direct purchases from French arms manufacturers.Denmark. The Scandinavian nation agreed to donate its F-16 Fighting Falcon warplanes developed in the 1970s to Ukraine last year. Still, the Danish newspaper Berlingske later reported that the donation of the oldie-but-goodie aircraft will be delayed by up to six months, citing the country's Ministry of Defense."Even if the F-16 does eventually enter combat on the side of Ukraine, the notion that this aircraft, whose basic design dates to the 1970's, will provide Ukraine with some sort of game-changing advantage is absurd," wrote former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter in his column for Sputnik back in May. "Ukraine will not be receiving anything close to the most modern, capable variant of the F-16, but rather airframes which have exceeded their operational life span for the air forces of the donor nation - in short, old aircraft with severe maintenance issues and limited performance."The list could go on and on, including tens of thousands of rounds of old ammo, depleted uranium shells and cluster bombs "generously" donated to Ukraine by the West.Eventually, the Eastern European country has turned into nothing short of a waste disposal site for outdated, obsolete and dangerous Western weapons incapable of changing the balance of power on the battlefield and routinely burned to a crisp by the Russian military.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231211/how-west-is-turning-ukraine-into-a-waste-disposal-site-1115522175.html
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western weapons in ukraine, nato countries sending obsolete weapons to ukraine, ukraine turned into waste disposal site for western weapons, germany sends sea king mk41 to ukraine, challenger 2 tanks, leopard 2 tanks
western weapons in ukraine, nato countries sending obsolete weapons to ukraine, ukraine turned into waste disposal site for western weapons, germany sends sea king mk41 to ukraine, challenger 2 tanks, leopard 2 tanks
Oldie But No Goodie: West Disposes of Obsolete Weapons by Sending Them to Ukraine
16:09 GMT 24.01.2024 (Updated: 13:39 GMT 26.01.2024) Berlin will send six Sea King Mk41 helicopters to Ukraine with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius calling the outdated aircraft "proven and reliable."
On January 23, Scholz's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the decision to supply Ukraine with German multipurpose helicopters in the wake of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's meeting. However, a key point to note is that he failed to mention that these helicopters are past their prime.
What is the Sea King Mk41?
The Sea King Mk41 is an aircraft that has been used by the German Navy since the 1970s. These particular Sea King Mk41s were manufactured in the UK by Westland Helicopters, under license from US manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.
The German Navy ordered 22 Sea King Mk41s in June 1969 as a replacement for the Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibious seaplane. The aircraft which was meant for search, surveillance and rescue missions was supplied to Germany between April 1973 and September 1974. In 1986-1988, the German Sea Kings underwent modernization, and were equipped with the capability to carry Sea Skua anti-ship missiles.
As the legacy choppers are scheduled to be replaced by the NH-90 NTH Sea Lion, the German government decided to send six of them to the Kiev regime. Remarkably, in the UK, the last remaining Sea King in service with the Royal Navy was retired almost six years ago.
11 December 2023, 14:01 GMT
Who Else Sent Legacy Weapons to Kiev?
Sending outdated and ill-conditioned weapons to the Ukrainian military is nothing new for the West. This convenient strategy allows NATO nations and its allies to kill two birds with one stone: showcase their "solidarity" with Ukraine and cut costs on weapon recycling.
Germany. The Sea King Mk41s are not the only outdated weapons provided by Berlin to the Kiev regime. Versions of the much-lauded Leopards sent to Ukraine have not been brand new. The problem has been further exacerbated by poor logistics and a lack of spare parts. Green Party member Sebastian Schafer stated in early January that
very few of the Leopard 2 tanks delivered by Berlin to Ukraine
were still in service.
"Unfortunately, we must admit that Ukraine can now use only a small number of tanks delivered," Schafer wrote to Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann arms manufacturers.
Australia. Earlier this month, the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) called upon the Australian government to deliver its retired fleet of Taipan choppers to Ukraine, instead of spending millions to bury them in landfill.
"Forty-five Taipan helicopters would more than double the number of helicopters Ukraine has been given since the start of the war," claimed AFUO Co-Chair Stefan Romaniw on January 12. "They could be delivered to Ukraine at a lower cost than destroying and burying them. And at a value of $920 million dollars, it would double the size of Australia’s support for Ukraine to date," he added.
31 October 2023, 14:11 GMT
The Netherlands. The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on November 13, that German Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns decommissioned by the Dutch army would be transferred to Ukraine in order to combat Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The media lauded the move, saying that Gepard self-propelled guns, once sold to Jordan, will receive "new life" in Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands did not provide any comment to the publication on the matter.
The German-made Gepards had been supplied to the Dutch army since the 1970s. However, since 2006, the guns have been taken out of service. Between 2013 and 2016, the Netherlands had sold their legacy Gepards to Jordan.
The UK. The British government's move to send at least 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine could be driven by the same rationale. In September, the British Ministry of Defense admitted that hundreds of British Challenger 2 tanks contained
potentially hazardous asbestos. As the British Ministry of Defense pledged to get rid of any asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in the near term, sending the equipment in question to Ukraine appeared to be a cost-effective solution.
"Ukraine has transformed into sort of a repository for outdated and sometimes even dangerous equipment, which did not undergo any certification or safety checks, and was simply provided, sometimes for the purpose of disposal, because asbestos is quite difficult to dispose of," Alexey Anpilogov, military analyst, head of the Foundation center,
told Sputnik last September.
22 September 2023, 12:16 GMT
France. Last September, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu told France Info that the Ukraine weapons program allowed Paris to get rid of plenty of old arms by transferring them for free to the Eastern European country. Having disposed of its outdated weaponry, the French government
offered Kiev to buy new arms in November. For that, Paris allocated €200 million to fund Ukraine's direct purchases from French arms manufacturers.
Denmark. The Scandinavian nation agreed to donate its F-16 Fighting Falcon warplanes developed in the 1970s to Ukraine last year. Still, the Danish newspaper Berlingske later reported that the donation of the oldie-but-goodie aircraft will be delayed by up to six months, citing the country's Ministry of Defense.
"
Even if the F-16 does eventually enter combat on the side of Ukraine, the notion that this aircraft, whose basic design dates to the 1970's, will provide Ukraine with some sort of game-changing advantage is absurd," wrote former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter in his column for Sputnik back in May.
"Ukraine will not be receiving anything close to the most modern, capable variant of the F-16, but rather airframes which have exceeded their operational life span for the air forces of the donor nation - in short, old aircraft with severe maintenance issues and limited performance."The list could go on and on, including tens of thousands of rounds of old ammo, depleted uranium shells and cluster bombs "generously" donated to Ukraine by the West.
Eventually, the Eastern European country has turned into nothing short of a waste disposal site for outdated, obsolete and dangerous Western weapons incapable of changing the balance of power on the battlefield and routinely burned to a crisp by the Russian military.
25 September 2023, 13:44 GMT
