On Monday, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger commented that he would consider donating his Air Force’s MiG-29 Fulcrum to Ukraine if alternative protection of its own airspace can be arranged.
Ukraine has been requesting heavy weapons, air defense missiles, and fighter jets for some time. Western countries have started to supply more weapons, but earlier talks on supplying MiG-29 fighters – also used by Poland and Bulgaria – broke down because those plans were considered too risky as tensions between Russia and NATO increased.
In the absence of a response from Ukraine’s allied countries, the Ukrainian Air Force itself recently made a direct and explicit request for Western fighters and Patriot or NASAMS systems.
However, so far it only received a Soviet-designed S-300 air defense system, which Slovakia gave in exchange for Patriot missiles.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, this S-300 system has already been destroyed by using Kalibr cruise missiles. Slovakia denies the veracity of these claims.
According to Reuters, in response to a journalist’s question about asking the allies for help in securing Slovak airspace and the possibility of supplying MiG-29s to Ukraine, Heger said:
«After how the Russian Federation has behaved, Soviet-made equipment is becoming very risky. Therefore, your question is in place and comes into consideration.»
«Post-Soviet equipment is not sustainable without Russian supplies and at this point, we don’t even want them,» he then added.
Heger reported that the Defense Ministry was in talks to secure airspace with allied warplanes.
Slovakia expects the first deliveries of 14 U.S.-made F-16V Block 70 aircraft in 2024, which would replace its 12 MiG-29s inherited from the Soviet era. But if Prime Minister Eduard Heger’s plans come to fruition, the country would have the security of its airspace guaranteed by NATO. At the same time, they will be saving 2 years of ever-increasing logistical costs.
But the original question remains – where would these hypothetical ex-Slovak Fulcrum operate from? Because all air bases in Ukraine are within range of Russian bombing and missile systems. Those MiG-29s could have a truly short life.
Well, how do you think Ukraine has been operating the ones they still have with great success? This aircraft are of a class in the family of the likes of the Gripen, with multibase-nonbase operations possible thanks to the high mobility they enjoy, all you need is a pod to hide it and any road can work as a runway with it, not a lady but a workhorse