POZNAN, Poland — A Polish air force MiG-29 taxis in with parachute in tow after finishing a mission here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John E. Lasky)
Poland will send four of its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming days, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced during a press conference after a meeting with his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel in Warsaw on March 16.
“This is about MiG-29s, which are still an active aircraft in the air defense of our country. We are literally transporting these MiGs to Ukraine now. We still have a dozen of them,” Duda said.
The Polish Air Force operates 23 MiG-29A fighter jets, and another six UB trainers. Some of the Soviet-era fighter jets were bought from Germany after the end of the Cold War. However, none of them saw any significant upgrade.
“These are the last years of their operation in accordance with their technical capabilities,” the Polish president said.“They will be replaced by newly delivered FA-50 aircraft from South Korea, the first ones are expected at the end of the year. And then squadrons of F-35 aircraft.”
Poland has expressed its willingness to hand over its MiG-29s to the Ukrainian Air Force on several occasions since the start of the Russian special military operation in the country more than a year ago.
By finally making the decision to send its ageing MiG-29s, Poland has become the first NATO member to supply Ukraine with fighter jets. The step is likely meant to encourage other members of the alliance to re-equip and arm the Ukrainian Air Force.
The White House said that Poland’s decision to send the MiG-29s is a “sovereign decision” that won’t spur United States President Joe Biden to send F-16 fighter jets.
“It doesn’t change our calculus with respect to F-16s,” said John Kirby, a top official at the U.S. National Security Council.
The Polish MiG-29 will make up for some of the losses of the Ukrainian Air Force, who will not need any special training or equipment to operate them. However, the outdated fighter jets will not provide any advantage against Russia’s more modern warplanes.
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