By KYIV. Nov 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Three British Sea Kings military helicopters will be transferred to Ukraine, the first of them has already arrived at its destination, Defense Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Ben Wallace said in Oslo (Norway), where he is meeting with allies to discuss military support for Kyiv.
In the last six weeks, Ukrainian crews were trained in the UK to fly and maintain the aircraft – to provide search and rescue capabilities, the BBC said on Wednesday.
This is the first manned aircraft sent by the UK to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. At the same time, the ezine notes that few countries have sent manned aircraft to Ukraine since the start of the conflict, and requests by its government for Western nations to send fighter jets so far remain unanswered.
Wallace said the UK would also send an additional 10,000 artillery rounds.
The Sea King was previously used by both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, with the last craft being retired by the Navy in 2018.
Britain remains the second largest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, and speaking from Oslo Wallace said its support would remain "unwavering".
