The 4 MiG-29 Fulcrum jets have been handed over to the Ukrainian Air Pressure.
First 4 of 13 MiG-29 fighters retired from energetic service by the Slovak Air Pressure have be transferred to Ukraine on Mar. 23, 2023. The plane have been flown from Sliač Air Base by Ukrainian Air Pressure pilots who had arrived in Slovakia to select them up along with mechanics, who serviced the jets earlier than departure.
First 4 Slovak #MiG29s handed over to #Ukraine. Might they save many #lives and assist Ukraine defend its land and infrastructure in opposition to Putin’s aggression! Our help will proceed so long as wanted. @oleksiireznikov @Slovakia_NATO @DefenceU @NATO @ZelenskyyUa #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/IvPb2jJ247
— Jaro Nad (@JaroNad) March 23, 2023
Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger introduced on Mar. 17, 2023, that the Authorities of Slovakia accredited the switch of 13 MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine. It’s not clear what number of plane will ultimately be delivered, thought of that lower than a dozen have been airworthy when the sort was retired in August final 12 months: most likely no less than a few airframes will probably be delivered together with the plane in flying circumstances to be cannibilized for spare components.
Anyway, in accordance with the Slovak media shops, the remaining jets will probably be probably delivered to Ukraine by land. Curiously, all of the nationwide markings and insignia have been cancelled.
Coping with the ex-Slovak Air Pressure MiG-29, the Fulcrums arrived to Sliač Air Base in December 1992. Only a few days later, on Jan. 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully break up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, ensuing within the disbandment of the Czechoslovak Military and the creation of the Military of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Armed Forces.
Over the subsequent two years the unit based mostly at Sliač modified its designation from 1st Fighter Squadron (1 Stíhacia Letka) to being renamed in early 1995 as 311 Stíhacia Letka (1st Squadron of the thirty first Fighter Wing) and at last in October 2001 to 1st Stíhacia Letca of Stíhacie Letecke Krídlo (Fighter Wing). The unit operated the MiG-29s within the air protection function till the top of August 2022, once they have been retired.
As already defined the Ukrainian pilots don’t want any additional training to fly these donated MiG-29s, contemplating the Fulcrums are already being used by the Ukrainian Air Force in numerous roles, together with the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses), because of the integration of the AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile).
The Slovak MiG-29s will probably be joined by different Fulcrums donated by Poland that must be delivered within the subsequent few weeks. North Macedonia, that has confirmed the donation of 4 Su-25s to Ukraine that happened a while in 2022 is reportedly contemplating the potential of transferring a dozen Mi-24 helicopters too. Ukraine has additionally despatched an official request to Finland for the availability of F/A-18 Hornets of the Finnish Air Pressure. Nonetheless, it appears to be like just like the Finnish MOD has already made it clear it doesn’t wish to donate Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine as a result of, because the Ministry Antti Kaikkonen stated “we’d like these Hornets to safe our personal nation”.
David Cenciotti is a journalist based mostly in Rome, Italy. He’s the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of many world’s most well-known and skim army aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for main worldwide magazines, together with Air Forces Month-to-month, Fight Plane, and plenty of others, masking aviation, protection, conflict, trade, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown a number of fight planes with completely different air forces. He’s a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Pressure, a personal pilot and a graduate in Pc Engineering. He has written 5 books and contributed to many extra ones.
