This is a new step in Western military support for Ukraine. And no doubt a new red line crossed from Moscow’s point of view. On Thursday March 16, the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, announced the delivery “over the next few days” of four Mig-29 fighter planes “fully operational” to the Ukrainian Air Force. “Other devices are under maintenance and will probably be transferred successively” to Ukraine, added the Polish head of state, during a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart, Petr Pavel.
However modest it may appear, this announcement is a first: since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, almost thirteen months ago, no member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has had supplied fighter planes to the Kiev army. According to various sources, Ukraine did receive some Sukhoi Su-25s in the spring of 2022, transferred to its territory in spare parts, but their origin has never been clarified. A designated time, Bulgaria denied having supplied these devices, which are now decommissioned.
The announcement is all the more important since at least part of the Polish Mig-29 – a Soviet fighter-bomber which entered service in 1983 and was engaged in numerous conflicts (Iraq, Yugoslavia, Kosovo, etc.) in recent decades – have been “hybridized” with modern equipment, which makes them more efficient than the aircraft currently available to Ukraine. “They are equipped with avionics [équipements électroniques] to NATO standards and can drop guided bombs”assures Xavier Tytelman, aeronautical consultant and president of the firm Aviation NXT.
Planes known to Ukrainian pilots
They can also be quickly taken in hand by the pilots of Kiev, accustomed to flying on planes inherited from the Soviet era: the Ukrainian air fleet is mainly composed of Mig-29, Sukhoi Su-27 and Sukhoi Su-25 . An undeniable advantage over Western aircraft, which, even if delivered quickly to Ukraine, could not be used for several months, given the significant technological differences between the aircraft.
This first shipment of four fighters will be followed by others, promised Andrzej Duda, one of the European leaders most hostile to Russia. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Warsaw still has twenty-eight Mig-29s in its arsenal, of which a dozen are operational. Above all, other countries could follow Poland. Several nations are “clearly” ready to supply Mig-29s to Ukraine, assured Piotr Muller, spokesman for the Polish government, on Wednesday. Slovakia, which has a dozen Mig-29s, says it is considering it, but has not yet made a decision. Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania also have units of this aircraft.
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