Warsaw has not yet been able to finally decide what to do with the last MiG-29 fighters. The initial plan to sell them to Ukraine in exchange for drone technology has not yet been implemented, as has the idea of selling them to Bulgaria, which is supposedly interested in them.
But the Polish defense ministry has admitted that the further operation of these aircraft is dangerous. This became known thanks to the response to the proposal to convert these MiG-29s into UAVs. The corresponding request was sent to the Ministry of National Defense of the country, which in its response clarified whether such an option is possible.
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"Due to the constant development of target operational standards and the lack of a source of spare parts, maintaining this type of aircraft in the Polish Armed Forces is economically unprofitable and may also affect the safety of their direct users," the response quoted by ZBIAM reads.
On the part of Defense Express, we would like to note that unofficial information about the condition of these aircraft, which is assessed as "deplorable", is actually confirmed. After all, we are talking about 14 almost 40-year-old fighters that are at the end of their service life, for which, as it turned out, Poland lacks spare parts.
In this regard, the question of the real value and safety of these fighters for Ukraine must have a clear answer. Because Poland has turned their transfer to commercial rails and wants to receive drone technology. If Ukraine receives these aircraft, additional costs will be required to either restore them to combat readiness (if possible), or simply disassemble them for components that can still be used as a repair fund.
This is apparently how Bulgaria should act, which has faced a delay in the transfer of the second batch of F-16 Block 70, because the aircraft ordered in 2022 will be delivered only in the next decade. This is provided that Sofia really believes that they need the Polish MiG-29s, because the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense officially admitted that they have not even put the eight F-16s already received into operation yet and this should happen only in 2027.
That is, if the Bulgarian Air Force has a problem with defense capability, it can be solved by using the newest F-16 Block 70s that are simply parked at the airbase, rather than the 40-year-old MiG-29s, the operation of which, as the Polish Ministry of National Defense has admitted, is dangerous.
Given all the circumstances, it is possible that the Polish Ministry of National Defense not only cannot count on selling its old MiG-29s, but will also be forced to find funds to pay for the disposal of these aircraft.
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