Slovakia readies transfer of upgraded MiG-29 warplanes to Ukraine

WARSAW, Poland — In a potentially major reinforcement of Ukraine’s air combat capability, Slovakia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Ratislav Káčer has announced his country is preparing to transfer Soviet-made Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force in coordination with the United States.

“We have not yet handed [Ukraine] the MiG-29s. But we are ready to do it. We are talking with our NATO partners about how to do it,” Káčer told local news agency Interfax Ukraine. “And … we had a very meaningful conversation with [Ukraine’s] president. My defense minister explained to [the Ukrainian] president how we can do this. And I think that, in the coming weeks, a Ukrainian delegation will come to Slovakia, and we will work together with our American friends to make this reality.”

In total, Slovakia secured 24 single-seater and twin-seater MiG-29s following Czechoslovakia’s dissolution, according to data from the country’s Defence Ministry. Of these, the 11 remaining operational fighter jets were withdrawn from service last August.

“The MiG-29s were upgraded in the years 2004-2006, including with NATO-compatible communication and navigation systems,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. “Slovakia’s 11 remaining MiG-29s will reach the projected end of service life between 2029-2035.”

Káčer’s statement indicates Slovakia is in talks with the U.S. over the best way in which the jets could be transferred to Ukraine. This suggests Bratislava intends to avoid a similar situation to that from earlier this year when Poland unveiled plans to transfer its MiG-29s to the Ukrainian Air Force. However, the initiative was derailed after Polish and U.S. officials engaged in a public discussion over Washington’s potential role in the procurement.

Poland offered to transfer the fighters to the United States which could then handle their delivery to Ukraine, but eventually the two allies failed to reach an agreement.

The Slovak Air Force is awaiting the delivery of 14 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters that are to safeguard the country’s airspace. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2024. In the meantime, the Czech and Polish air forces are policing Slovak skies until at least Dec. 31, 2023.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——斯洛伐克外交和欧洲事务部长拉蒂斯拉夫·卡切尔宣布，斯洛伐克正准备与美国协调，向乌克兰空军移交苏联制造的米格-29战斗机，这可能极大地增强乌克兰的空中作战能力。

“我们尚未向乌克兰交付米格-29战斗机，但我们已经做好准备。我们正在与北约伙伴国商讨具体方案，”卡切尔告诉乌克兰国际文传电讯社。“而且……我们与乌克兰总统进行了一次非常有意义的会谈。我的国防部长向乌克兰总统解释了我们如何才能做到这一点。我认为，未来几周内，乌克兰代表团将访问斯洛伐克，我们将与美国朋友共同努力，使之成为现实。”

根据斯洛伐克国防部的数据，捷克斯洛伐克解体后​​，斯洛伐克共获得了24架单座和双座米格-29战斗机。其中，剩余的11架作战战斗机已于去年8月退役。

斯洛伐克国防部在一份声明中表示：“米格-29战斗机在2004年至2006年间进行了升级，包括加装了与北约兼容的通信和导航系统。斯洛伐克剩余的11架米格-29战斗机预计将在2029年至2035年间达到其服役年限。”

卡切尔的声明表明，斯洛伐克正与美国就向乌克兰转让战机的最佳方式进行磋商。这暗示布拉迪斯拉发意在避免重蹈今年早些时候波兰宣布向乌克兰空军转让米格-29战机的覆辙。然而，由于波兰和美国官员就华盛顿在采购过程中可能扮演的角色展开公开讨论，该计划最终搁浅。

波兰提议将这些战斗机移交给美国，由美国负责运往乌克兰，但最终这两个盟国未能达成协议。

斯洛伐克空军正在等待接收14架F-16 Block 70/72战斗机，这些战斗机将用于保卫该国领空。预计交付工作将于2024年开始。在此期间，捷克和波兰空军将负责斯洛伐克领空的巡逻，至少持续到2023年12月31日。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。