The Defence Department is refusing to discuss any details, but over the weekend one of Australia’s most sophisticated military surveillance planes took charge of NATO’s response to a series of devastating Russian drone and missile strikes against Ukraine. Australia’s E-7A Wedgetail is equipped with a world-beating MESA radar which can see over 300km, offering advanced warning of Russian drone, missile and aircraft incursions into Ukrainian airspace. Damage is seen through the window of an apartment block at the scene of a Russian strike on Sunday in Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit: Ed Ram / Getty ImagesLast month Poland’s Minister for National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz explained that the Australian E-7A Wedgetail would be supporting NATO activities by protecting airspace and coordinating air operations on the Alliance’s eastern flank. “Though geographically distant, Australia is directly strengthening European security because Russian aggression threatens the rules-based order that underpins Indo-Pacific stability too”.