Against the backdrop of Polish politicians trying to gain political support by appealing to anti-Ukrainian sentiment, Poland has decided not to send its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The Polish Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has officially accused Ukraine of failing to deliver the military technology that Poland was supposed to receive in exchange for transferring its fighter jets. Now, Poland is simply scrapping its MiG-29s.
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From Defense Express we would like to note that the Polish Air Force still had 14 MiG-29s in its fleet, which had been in service since 1989. In exchange for them, Warsaw wanted to receive certain technologies in the field of unmanned systems and missiles.
At the same time, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces stated that such an exchange deal was possible because the fighter jets had reached the end of their service life. In other words, these aircraft were indeed very old: 11 single-seat and 3 two-seat MiG-29s.
However, unlike the 14 MiG-29s transferred as aid in 2023, these fighters underwent modernization between 2011 and 2014 at the facilities of Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 2. The modernization included the installation of an onboard computer, cockpit displays, and new navigation and communications systems.
However, the upgrade did not include weapons systems, radar, or other key components. Overall, in terms of capabilities, these aircraft are comparable to the Slovak MiG-29ASs, which were delivered in 2023.
It is worth noting that the figure of 14 MiG-29s exists only "on paper", while the actual number of combat-ready aircraft is likely to be significantly lower. For example, of the 13 Slovak MiG-29AS aircraft, 9 were not combat-ready and, in fact, were not even airworthy. To transfer them to Ukraine, they were dismantled and transported by trucks.
In other words, the discussion centered on 14 fighter jets, some of which could serve only as sources of spare parts, while others, intended for combat use, would undergo refurbishment. Given that Warsaw has reclassified the transfer of these aircraft as a commercial deal, the feasibility of exchanging them for Ukraine's drone and missile technologies is a separate issue. Such a question can only be answered through a thorough assessment of the condition of each aircraft, especially considering that many of them have already reached the end of their service life.
It is also worth noting that, aside from the aircraft themselves, another key issue for the Ukrainian Air Force is the number of qualified pilots available to operate them. The process of retraining Ukrainian pilots from Soviet-era fighter jets to the F-16, Mirage-2000-5, and Gripen is currently underway. It is worth noting that the first Swedish fighter jets will arrive in Ukraine as early as the beginning of 2027.
On the one hand, given that Ukraine has been resisting russian aggression for four years, even aircraft of this kind could still have provided some value. However, if Poland chose to treat its assistance as a commercial transaction that eventually evolved into a political move, then it has every right to define its own historical role.
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