Australia will send 20 Bushmaster armoured vehicles worth $50 million to Ukraine following a direct request from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during his address to parliament last week.

The Bushmasters, which include two ambulance variants, will leave Brisbane for Europe on C-17 Globemasters on Friday morning.

The Bushmasters were painted olive green to suit the environment in Ukraine and will be fitted with radios, a global positioning system and additional bolt-on armour to increase their protection.