The Czech Republic and Germany will patrol the skies of Slovakia. This opens the way for the Slovaks to transfer 11 MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine.
The Slovak Defense Minister said that Bratislava is ready to send planes to Ukraine, but an agreement has not yet been reached.
There is political will and sense to help those in need. This possibility is being considered, and as soon as an agreement is reached, we will inform you, – Reuters quotes Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nagy.
In mid-August, Slovakia reported that next month it would finally stop using its MiG-29 fighters, which it plans to transfer to Ukraine.
Minister Nagy said that Slovak MiG-29 fighters could enter service with the Ukrainian Air Force as early as September. Nagy said that Slovakia should receive money for them from the European Union or military equipment from NATO.
The cost of one aircraft is about 35 million euros.
At the same time, the minister did not name the number of aircraft that they plan to transfer to Ukraine. According to preliminary data, we can talk about 11 or 12 aircraft that Slovakia currently has.
The MiG-29 was the main multi-role fighter of the Warsaw Pact countries and the USSR throughout the 80s of the XX century. Currently, it is in service with many countries of the world, including Ukraine. The MiG-29 is designed to destroy all types of air targets with guided missiles and airborne cannon fire in simple and adverse weather conditions, as well as to destroy ground targets.
The Slovak MiG-29 fleet consists of 11 vehicles: 9 MiG-29AS and 2 MiG-29UBS twins.
MiG-29AS – modernization of the MiG-29A (export simplified version of the Soviet fighter for the Warsaw Pact countries) into the MiG-29SD version. The aircraft received new in-flight refueling capabilities during modernization in the 2000s. Western navigation and radio communication devices have also been installed. A key improvement is the new radar, which allows the use of missiles with thermal and radar homing heads.
Source: Racurs
