Poland to launch MiG-29 deliveries to Ukraine within days

WARSAW, Poland — Polish President Andrzej Duda has declared that Poland will deliver the first four Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming days to support the country’s combat against Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Duda announced the forthcoming delivery following his official meeting with Czech President Petr Pavel today in Warsaw.

“Firstly, literally in the next few days, we will deliver, as far as I recall, four fully operational aircraft to Ukraine. The remaining aircraft are currently being serviced, prepared, and they will certainly be gradually delivered,” Duda said, as quoted by local broadcaster TVN 24.

The Polish Air Force has between 11 and 19 MiG-29s in its fleet, according to the president.

Duda said Poland’s military will replace the Soviet-made fighters with FA-50 aircraft the country’s Ministry of National Defence ordered from South Korea last September. Warsaw signed two contracts to buy 48 light attack aircraft, with the first 12 jets to be supplied in 2023, and a further 36 aircraft between 2025 and 2028.

The Polish president’s announcement comes shortly after Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď called on his country’s decision-makers to approve the discussed transfer of the nation’s MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine.

Slovakia secured 24 single-seater and twin-seater MiG-29s following Czechoslovakia’s dissolution, according to figures from the Slovak Defence Ministry. Of these, the 11 remaining operational jets were withdrawn from service in August 2022.

Last December, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Rastislav Káčer declared the government was preparing to transfer an undisclosed number of MiG-29s to Ukraine in coordination with the United States. Meanwhile, Slovakia is awaiting the delivery of 14 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters that are to safeguard the nation’s airspace, with deliveries expected to begin next year.

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• Source: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/03/16/poland-could-launch-mig-29-deliveries-to-ukraine-within-days/