Poland Plans to Transfer Four Retired MiG-29 Fighter Jets to Ukraine

Warsaw has a clear intention to transfer four retired MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, revealed this in an interview with European Pravda.

According to Bodnar, the aircraft have already been retired from service and transferred from the Polish Armed Forces to the Armament Agency. Ukrainian specialists inspected the jets and concluded that they would require extensive and expensive modernization before they could be put into operational use.

According to the ambassador, the aircraft are unlikely to be used for spare parts, as they remain airworthy and their engines and airframes still have sufficient service life for continued operation.

Bodnar added that Ukraine is not the only country interested in acquiring the jets. He recalled that an unnamed country – reportedly Bulgaria – had previously approached Warsaw with a similar proposal.

Military officials from both countries are currently in talks. The outcome will depend on whether they can reach an agreement on upgrading the fighter jets to the minimum standard required for operational use in Ukraine.

According to the ambassador, the main obstacles are funding and the availability of the necessary equipment, which is currently lacking in both Ukraine and Poland.

“However, there is a clear political commitment on the Polish side to transfer these MiG-29s to Ukraine. There is broad consensus on the issue, and no one is opposed to it. The only question is whether we can modernize the aircraft. If we secure the necessary funding, we will upgrade them and put them into service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. If not, the transfer will have to be postponed,” the ambassador said.

Polish MiG-29s for Ukraine

Late last year, Ministry of National Defence of Poland and the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced plans to transfer some of the MiG-29 fighter jets still operated by the Polish Air Force to Ukraine.

Under the proposed arrangement, Poland would receive access to Ukraine’s drone technologies in exchange for the aircraft. Ukraine’s unmanned systems have been rapidly developed and extensively tested in combat during the war.

At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the MiG-29s were particularly valuable because Ukrainian pilots were already trained and experienced in flying the aircraft. As he put it, “the problem is not a shortage of aircraft, but a shortage of pilots.”

In June, Polish officials said the transfer had yet to move forward because the issue of receiving the agreed technology package from Ukraine had not been resolved.

Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk said the fighter jets would be transferred once the issue is fully resolved. In July, the two sides resumed talks on the possible transfer of nine aircraft.

Earlier inspections by a Ukrainian delegation found the condition of the Polish jets unsatisfactory, concluding that the aircraft would require repairs before they could enter service.

After years without adequate maintenance, the MiG-29s were assessed as being in poor technical condition, with specialists expressing particular concern over the state of their landing gear.

Poland has said it is prepared to assist with upgrading the fighter jets, but the cost of the modernization would have to be covered by Ukraine or its international partners.

It was also recently revealed that Ukraine has submitted a ‘concrete proposal’ to Poland regarding the transfer of the MiG-29 fighter jets.