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| Slovakia Will Donate 11 MiG-29 Fighters to Ukraine |
International Military - Slovak Defense Minister, Jaroslav Nad, is considering donating a fleet of MiG fighter jets to Ukraine. The Slovak Defense Minister delivered this on Monday, July 25, 2022.
Quoted from the Washington Post, Slovakia will send 11 MiG 29 units to Ukraine. This weapons assistance is clearly to increase Ukrainian air power to face Russia.
But it is necessary to note, 11 units of MiG 29 fighter jets will indeed be retired next August. Therefore, Slovakia will donate it to Ukraine.
Slovakia has signed a deal to procure 14 US F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets to replace their MiG 29. Zelensky continues to demand heavy weaponry including fighter jets from his Western allies. Of course, the US and NATO countries cannot immediately grant the request of the President of Ukraine.
The reason is, the West is worried that the assistance provided will increase tensions with Russia and result in a wider war. The West can only promise Soviet fighter jets to be sent to Ukraine.
Slovakia itself has supplied a lot of heavy weapons to Ukraine. Includes Soviet-era S-300 air defense systems, military helicopters, and thousands of Grad multi-launch rockets. They also sell Ukrainian self-propelled howitzers.
The Ukrainian Air Force has publicly asked NATO to immediately send Western fighter jets, such as the F-16 or F-15. Kyiv believes the two combat platforms can face Russia's increasingly solid air defenses. It is believed that Western systems are more sophisticated and superior to Russian fighter jets.
Ukraine also believes that its pilots can be trained and ready to fly US fighter jets in just two years and three weeks.
Colonel Yuri Ignat, chief spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, said that the presence of the F-16s would turn the tide of the war. He explained the main reason why Ukraine is in dire need of the F-16 is because of the aircraft's ability to carry out suppression of enemy air defense missions (SEAD).
The F-16's capability, which can carry long-range missiles up to 100 km, can also confront Russian bombers and prevent civilian attacks. Some say the MiG 29 is designed on par with the US Air Force's F-16 and F-15.
But the facts say otherwise, the Soviet-era fighter jet suffered more losses during its operation. First flew on October 6, 1977, experts agreed the MiG 29 was used as an interceptor role, quoted from 19fortyfive.com.
The MiG-29 has a length of 17.32 meters (56 ft 10 in), a height of 4.73 meters (15 ft 6 in), a wingspan of 11.36 meters (37 ft 3 in), and a maximum takeoff weight of 0f 18,000 kilograms ( 39,683 pounds). This fighter can glide through the air with a maximum air speed of Mach 2.25 (2,400 kph/1,500 mph/1,300 knots).
Armament consists of one 30 mm Gryazev-Shipurov GSh-30-1 automatic cannon with 150 rounds, plus hardpoints with a capacity for 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) bombs or missiles such as the AA-8 Aphid, AA-10 Alamo, AA-11, AA -12. However, none of that guarantees its capabilities on the battlefield, the MiG 29 doesn't really impress in real-world air-to-air combat.
Quoted from 19fortyfive.com, in history, the MiG 29 has lost 18 times. This is in contrast to his winning record of only 6 times.