Overview
- Poland’s General Staff and the defence minister say negotiations are underway to hand over remaining MiG-29s in return for Ukrainian drone and missile technologies, with no final decision yet.
- The military frames the potential transfer as a consequence of the aircraft reaching end-of-life and as part of broader NATO support for Ukraine and the Alliance’s eastern flank.
- Tasks now performed by the MiG-29s would shift to Poland’s F-16 and FA-50 fleets, according to the General Staff.
- A former Polish defence minister suggested the handover could occur in January–February and involve roughly one squadron, though timing and scale remain unconfirmed.
- Polish media report about 14 MiG-29s remain in service; a presidential aide questioned whether the head of state was fully briefed, a claim the defence minister publicly rejected.