The Polish plans to purchase Korean KF-21 fighter jets should also be seen against the background that Polish MiG-29s are an issue for the Ukrainian air force, which is very familiar with them. A transfer of the jets was first discussed around a year ago, but no delivery was made at the time because the USA and NATO were concerned that the Kremlin could interpret the transfer of the aircraft as Western involvement in the war. These concerns are now likely to have been put to one side, as numerous sources report that the US government no longer stands in the way of the renewed Polish – and Slovakian – plan to transfer MiG-29 interceptors to the Ukrainian air force.
In the first stage, the first operational MiG-29A/UB (UB = two-seater without radar) are to be transferred to Ukraine in the next few days. Poland is reportedly also prepared to hand over the rest of its MiG-29 fleet as part of an international “MiG-29 coalition” consisting of the former fleets of the Polish, Bulgarian and Slovakian air forces. According to one statement, they “will not end up as a monument, but will support the defense of the lives of the people in Ukraine”. Still other sources claim that Polish MiG-29s – dubbed “spare parts” – have have long since found their way into the neighboring country’s defensive campaign. Now even Polish President Andrzej Duda has recently confirmed that the first four aircraft will be handed over to Kiev “within the next few days”. Further MiGs are then to be transferred to Ukraine, and he added: “They are from the 1990s and in their last years of operation, but still in good working order. The rest will also be maintained and prepared.” Poland has modernized its MiG-29s several times and also made them NATO-compatible with Western technology. Whether this has now been upgraded for the transfer was, of course, not specified. As far as the delivery is concerned, a partial dismantling with subsequent transfer by rail or road seems most likely. https://militaeraktuell.at/polen-erste-koreaner-jets-gesichtet/ Pistorius and Wallace not quite up to speed
According to a report by CNN the total number of MiGs now made available by Poland is between eleven and 19, but the entire fleet of 28 aircraft will apparently not be handed over until the Korean FA-50 is ready for operation. Confronted with these developments, the new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that he did not know exactly which MiGs that would beor whether Germany would have to agree to a handover because they might be former GDR aircraft. These flew as MiG-29Gs with the 73rd Fighter Wing after reunification and were handed over to Poland “free of charge” in 2004. German media have always referred to German aircraft in moderations and talk shows on the ongoing topic of “fighter jets for Ukraine”, although this has never been an issue with regard to either the Eurofighter or old Tornados. However, the TV pictures could have given the head of the department an answer, as Duda made his announcement at a meeting with the new Czech president, former General Petr Pavel. And the Czech Republic had already exchanged ten MiG-29s in 1996 – they came from the division of the CSSR Air Force with Slovakia in 1992 – for eleven Polish PZL W-3 Sokół helicopters. And the Poles have also been flying twelve older MiG-29s since 1989, which are still directly from Soviet production.
BREAKING:
Slovakia’s Defense Minister @JaroNad has just signed an intergovernmental agreement with Ukraine, finishing the legal and bureaucratic part of transferring the 13 Slovak MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/6xD5Pbc1uf – Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 17, 2023
The countries involved always said that they did not want to go it alone and would only hand over the “MiG vehicle” together with others. And the Polish decision was promptly followed on March 17 by the Slovakian government’s announcement that it had approved the plan to hand over its fleet of 13 MiG-29s (the second half of the ex-CSSR aircraft that have been parked since last summer due to a break in Russian supplies) to Ukraine. Prime Minister Eduard Heger said during a press conference announcing the decision that his government was “on the right side of history”. Slovakia will receive 200 million euros in compensation from the EU and unspecified weapons worth 700 million euros from the US in exchange for handing over its MiG-29 fleet to Ukraine, added Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad. The few Bulgarian MiG-29s are almost at the end of their useful life and some of them fly with engines from Poland. And the Hungarian MiGs have been parked in Kecskemet for a long time, but the Hungarian leadership does not supply weapons to Ukraine.
Airplane ring exchange?
Subsequently, the UK wants to transfer Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to the European countries that are handing over their MiG-29s to Ukraine. Or perhaps deliver them there after all? British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told “Times Radio” at the end of February that the UK wanted to deliver fighter jets to Central and Eastern European partner countries “in exchange for them handing over their Soviet-built aircraft such as MiG-29s and Su-24s to Ukraine”. However, the “next” Su-24 (NATO: “Fencer”, a swing-wing fighter bomber from the 1970s and 1980s similar to the Tornado) are flying – alongside Ukraine and Russia – in Algeria, Syria and possibly Libya. But these are not really “partner countries”.
Kremlin warns again
Naturally, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has already reacted: “The promised aircraft are another example of NATO members increasing the level of their direct involvement in the conflict. The equipment deliveries will of course have no influence on the outcome of the special military operation, but they could bring more misfortune to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.” The Russian air force has still not achieved overall air superiority, and the Ukrainians are still flying missions. However, in waves of ten to 14 days, the Russians are attempting – with some success – to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure from Russian airspace using stand-off weapons. However, should Ukraine develop an offensive to the south towards the sea after the mud period, the Russian air force will have to try to “wear down” the Ukrainian ground forces.
Update March 22, 2023: This is what Chief of Staff Daniel Zmeko says on the Slovakian decision. And the day before, Slovakian Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad had already announced in a Facebook post that Slovakia would pay for the transfer of its MiGs and as compensation for the delay in the delivery of the new F-16/70s until 2024. delay in the delivery of the new F-16/70 until 2024now twelve new combat helicopters Bell AH-1Z (as also procured by neighboring Czech Republic) and 500 Hellfire PAL. Thanks to US military aid and funds from the EU Peace Facility, these would be “practically free” (see report).
