Poland to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine within days
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Poland will hand over four MiG-29 air superiority fighters to Ukraine in ‘full working order', President Andrzej Duda said on 16 March during a press briefing.
He added that the rest of the country's MiG-29s are being serviced and will be available to Ukraine in the future.
Duda said the Polish Air Force would replace the jets it gives to Kyiv with KAI-made FA-50 jets and Lockheed Martin F-35s.
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‘Our security will not suffer,' said government spokesman Piotr Muller. ‘We will keep the Russian front from our borders at all times.'
This will mark Poland as the first NATO member to have delivered fighters after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy's prolonged appeals to Western nations to supply combat aircraftas his country prepares for a spring offensive.
Slovakia has also declared it is ready to transfer its Soviet-made MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine.
Duda last week said the fast jets would only be sent within a larger international coalition - as was done with tanks a few weeks ago - but he gave no indication whether other nations would be ready to do the same.
Ukrainian pilots do not need additional training for the jet, as the country's air force has been flying the MiG-29 multi-role fighters since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Ukraine has also been requesting F-16 fighters, with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki saying Warsaw was also considering providing them.
To operate the fourth-generation fighters effectively, however, Ukrainian pilots would need to go through substantial training. NATO countries have been providing advanced training, including the UK and the US.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said ‘nothing is off the table' when it comes to sending fighter jets to Ukraine and has formally requested Defence Secretary Ben Wallace look into which RAF jets could be provided to the Ukrainian Air Force as he announced the pilot training support.
The Eurofighter Typhoon and theF-16 is not optimised for short-filed landing on rough surfaces from where Ukraine has been deploying its own jets. (Photo:UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The MoD said the new training efforts will ensure that Ukrainian pilots can fly NATO-standard fighter jets in the future. But the UK is unlikely to transfer any of its own jets to Ukraine any time soon.
The US has said it would not send any of its own jets to Ukraine.
Both the UK and the US could support Kyiv's fighter jet aspirations without directly transferring any platforms to Ukraine by filling potential gaps in donor countries' air forces.
The additional jets could play a critical role in Ukraine's fight against Russian forces, both in carrying out offensive operations and protecting its own troops.
However, Poland's pledge also aims to unlockfast jet transfers from Western nations as Duda has been among the most active allies pressing for more arms support to Ukraine.
And although there is consensus within NATO that Ukraine should be supported, Kyiv would not necessarily be able to use all types of modern jets to their full extent.
For exclusive analysis of Ukraine's best options among available Western combat aircraft, sign up now to receive Shephard's Decisive Edge - Air Newsletter.
He added that the rest of the country's MiG-29s are being serviced and will be available to Ukraine in the future.
Duda said the Polish Air Force would replace the jets it gives to Kyiv with KAI-made FA-50 jets and Lockheed Martin F-35s.
Related Articles
UK plans to aid Ukraine with fighter jets meet reality as RAF struggles to train its own pilots
What would supplying Western fighter jets mean for Ukraine?
Netherlands donating two minehunters to Ukraine
‘Our security will not suffer,' said government spokesman Piotr Muller. ‘We will keep the Russian front from our borders at all times.'
This will mark Poland as the first NATO member to have delivered fighters after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy's prolonged appeals to Western nations to supply combat aircraftas his country prepares for a spring offensive.
Slovakia has also declared it is ready to transfer its Soviet-made MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine.
Duda last week said the fast jets would only be sent within a larger international coalition - as was done with tanks a few weeks ago - but he gave no indication whether other nations would be ready to do the same.
Ukrainian pilots do not need additional training for the jet, as the country's air force has been flying the MiG-29 multi-role fighters since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Ukraine has also been requesting F-16 fighters, with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki saying Warsaw was also considering providing them.
To operate the fourth-generation fighters effectively, however, Ukrainian pilots would need to go through substantial training. NATO countries have been providing advanced training, including the UK and the US.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said ‘nothing is off the table' when it comes to sending fighter jets to Ukraine and has formally requested Defence Secretary Ben Wallace look into which RAF jets could be provided to the Ukrainian Air Force as he announced the pilot training support.
The Eurofighter Typhoon and theF-16 is not optimised for short-filed landing on rough surfaces from where Ukraine has been deploying its own jets. (Photo:UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The MoD said the new training efforts will ensure that Ukrainian pilots can fly NATO-standard fighter jets in the future. But the UK is unlikely to transfer any of its own jets to Ukraine any time soon.
The US has said it would not send any of its own jets to Ukraine.
Both the UK and the US could support Kyiv's fighter jet aspirations without directly transferring any platforms to Ukraine by filling potential gaps in donor countries' air forces.
The additional jets could play a critical role in Ukraine's fight against Russian forces, both in carrying out offensive operations and protecting its own troops.
However, Poland's pledge also aims to unlockfast jet transfers from Western nations as Duda has been among the most active allies pressing for more arms support to Ukraine.
And although there is consensus within NATO that Ukraine should be supported, Kyiv would not necessarily be able to use all types of modern jets to their full extent.
For exclusive analysis of Ukraine's best options among available Western combat aircraft, sign up now to receive Shephard's Decisive Edge - Air Newsletter.
