Poland Receives Request for MiG-29s Planned for Transfer to Ukraine From Unnamed NATO Country

Poland has received a request from an unnamed NATO country regarding MiG-29 fighter jets that Warsaw plans to transfer to Ukraine.

This was stated by Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Zalewski in an interview with Radio ZET.

According to him, despite the request from a NATO ally, Poland’s priority remains transferring the fighter jets to Ukraine.

Zalewski declined to answer a journalist’s direct question about whether he was referring to Bulgaria.

Currently, only two NATO members operate MiG-29 fighter jets — Poland and Bulgaria. Bulgaria is gradually replacing its Soviet-era aircraft with new F-16 Block 70 fighters, but so far has received only the first batch. Delivery of the second batch is expected by 2027.

Bulgaria is currently not ready to transfer its MiG-29s to Ukraine because of concerns about preserving the operational capability of its own air force.

According to available data, Bulgaria has 16 MiG-29 fighters, but only six are operational. Because of European Union sanctions against Russia, the country can no longer obtain spare parts for the aircraft from Russia.

As a result, maintaining the existing fleet requires an alternative source of components, which could come from Polish MiG-29s.

Back in 2022, reports emerged that Sofia was considering overhauling RD-33 engines for its MiG-29s in Poland.

Polish MiG-29s for Ukraine

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

Under the initial agreements, Poland was to receive access to Ukrainian unmanned systems technologies in exchange for the aircraft.

At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the fighter jets were important for Ukraine because Ukrainian pilots already had extensive experience operating them. According to him, “the issue is not a shortage of aircraft, but a shortage of pilots.”

In June, the Polish side said the transfer had not yet taken place because the issue of receiving the technologies remained unresolved.

Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk said the fighter jets would be transferred immediately after the issue is resolved. In July, the parties resumed negotiations on the possible transfer of nine aircraft.

It was previously reported that after inspecting the Polish aircraft, the Ukrainian delegation was dissatisfied with their condition, as the fighterjets require repairs before entering service.

Due to years of insufficient maintenance, the MiG-29s’ technical condition was assessed as unsatisfactory, with the landing gear raising particular concern among specialists.

Poland has expressed readiness to help modernize the MiG-29 fighters for Ukraine, but said the costs of the project should be covered by Ukraine or partner countries.