Slovakia sends first four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine

Slovakia handed over the first four MiG-29 combat jets to Ukraine. The rest of the fighters will be handed over in the coming weeks.

The Ministry of Defense of Slovakia reports that Ukrainian pilots delivered the fighters with the Slovak Air Force's and Ukrainian personnel's help.

Minister of Defense of Slovakia Jaroslav Naď thanked all the participants delivering the planes "for their fantastic professional work."

"Slovakia is on the right side, and with this gesture, we as a country inscribed ourselves with capital letters in modern world history, which speaks of timely assistance, sincere solidarity, and the nation's greatness," the minister said.

For operational reasons, Slovakia does not provide any details of sending the following planes. The country's Ministry of Defense promises to announce more info immediately after their safe transfer to the Ukrainian side.

Reference

On March 17, the Slovak government agreed to send 13 Soviet MiG-29 multipurpose fighters to Ukraine. The Slovaks will also hand over part of their air defense systems to "Kub."

Following the decision to hand over the aircraft, the United States offered to sell Slovakia 12 new Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopters at a two-thirds discount.

It was also reported that not all of the 13 fighters were capable of flying. The Air Force explained that MiG-29s would be able to strengthen Ukraine's capabilities but would not allow them to gain air superiority. To do this, the Ukrainian military needs Western fighters, such as the F-16.