Poland’s Defense Ministry is updating its air fleet as the service life of its MiG-29 fighters expires by the end of 2025. As a result, a squadron of the jets could be transferred to Ukraine, with Poland receiving American F-35s and South Korean KAI FA-50s in return.
An agreement to provide Ukraine with Polish MiG-29s could be reached on Friday, December 19, during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit, Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk told RMF24.
He said Ukraine could receive a batch of 6–8 aircraft that would otherwise go to a museum or be scrapped.
Tomczyk explained that the old Soviet jets will be retired by the end of December 2025. Until now, Poland had 14 MiG-29s while simultaneously modernizing its fleet, so there will be no impact on security. In his view, it’s better to send the jets to Ukraine to fight the Russians than to consign them to a museum.
“They can end up in a museum, be sold or scrapped, or they can end up in Ukraine and help destroy our enemies. In my opinion, the situation is quite clear,” he said.
In addition to replenishing Poland’s air force with modern aircraft, Warsaw hopes to obtain from Ukraine technologies for manufacturing and using drones, Tomczyk added.
“We should close this issue. Since the MiGs are becoming obsolete, we should still put them to good use,” the official concluded.
Swapping jets for military drone technologies became possible thanks to NATO membership: within the alliance, Warsaw is receiving F-35s and FA-50s.
The MiG-29 is a Soviet-made light fighter that first flew in 1977.
Its main mission is striking air and ground targets. Ukraine’s Air Force and troops have previously highlighted the usefulness of the MiG-29 in downing Shahed kamikaze drones and Russian missiles. In the first year of the Russia-Ukraine war, pilots used R-73 and R-27R air-to-air missiles and a 30 mm cannon.
Over time, the jets were upgraded to carry Western weapons. In particular, that included AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and JDAM precision-guided munitions, which, depending on the modification, can strike targets up to 70 km away.
MiG-29s have also launched AASM Hammer munitions, which have struck, among other targets, a Russian headquarters in the occupied part of Kherson region.
In September 2025, photos appeared online of a Ukrainian MiG-29 carrying KABs that were reportedly headed for a Russian position on an unspecified sector of the front.
