Slovak Air Force MiG-29 Transfer

Slovakia transferred four MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, the first batch of thirteen aircraft the government had pledged, the jets being flown out of Sliač Air Base by Ukrainian pilots. Slovakia had grounded its MiG-29 fleet the previous year and arranged Czech and Polish air policing to cover its airspace, so the donation cost it no operational capability. The aircraft were a Soviet-designed type Ukrainian crews could fly and maintain without conversion training. Agreed alongside a parallel Polish donation, the handover was the first delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine by a NATO member.