The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces is negotiating the transfer of the soon to be retired MiG-29s, with Ukraine providing in return drone and missile technologies.
The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced in a post on social media that it is negotiating the transfer of the country’s remaining MiG-29s to Ukraine. The announcement reiterates previous similar statements by Poland since 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, and follows the donation of first batch of Fulcrums in 2023.
Ongoing Negotiations
In the post published online, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces said that negotiations are already underway, although a final decision has not yet been made. The statement specifies that the transfer is “related to the aircraft reaching their target operational lifespans and the lack of prospects for their further modernization within the Polish Armed Forces.”
Informujemy, że trwają rozmowy ze stroną ukraińską na temat przekazania samolotów MIG-29. Przekazywanie samolotów związane jest z osiąganiem przez nie docelowych resursów eksploatacyjnych oraz brakiem perspektywy ich dalszej modernizacji w Siłach Zbrojnych RP. Informujemy… pic.twitter.com/35obeH37rP
— Sztab Generalny WP (@SztabGenWP) December 9, 2025
The military however stressed that this will not cause a capability gap as the roles of the MiG-29 fleet will be taken over by the F-16 and FA-50. Moreover, the donation is considered part of NATO’s assistance to Ukraine and will support the security of the Alliance’s Eastern flank.
Although not mentioned in the post, it is worth noting that the first F-35As and FA-50PLs are expected to arrive in Poland in 2026. The new FA-50PLs will join the FA-50GFs already in country, while the F-35s will replace the recently retired Su-22 Fitter‘s roles.
In exchange for the transfer of the aircraft, the General Staff also said it is negotiating the provision of Ukrainian drone and missile technologies to Poland. “The goal is not only to compensate for the loss of equipment, but primarily to acquire and jointly develop new defense and industrial competencies,” read the statement.
This was further confirmed by the Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz in a statement on public radio, according to Reuters. “We are negotiating with the Ukrainian side about transferring the MiG-29s, but we are also discussing transferring technologies to Poland, such as drones. This solidarity must be two-way,” said the Minister.
2023 Transfer
In March 2023, Poland became the first country to donate aircraft to Ukraine when Polish President Andrzej Duda announced the transfer of four MiG-29s. A month later, the German government gave Poland the go ahead to transfer five MiG-29s to Ukraine.
The German approval was required because the aircraft were part of the MiG-29Gs formerly operated by the East German Armed Forces and sold to Poland in 2003. In fact, Poland, which earlier owned NATO’s largest MiG-29 fleet, acquired its Fulcrums from different sources.
In 1989, Poland acquired its first 12 MiG-29, a mix of nine single-seater MiG-29 9.12 and twin-seater MiG-29UB jets. The fleet was first increased starting from 1995 with the acquisition of 10 more aircraft – nine 9.12s and one UB – from the Czech Republic.
Then, in 2003, Poland acquired for the symbolic price of €1 per aircraft 22 upgraded German MiG-29s, of which 18 single-seaters and four twin-seaters. Poland then launched in 2011 an upgrade program for its MiG-29s to better integrate with the F-16.
It has been reported that, as of 2022, Poland still operated around 28 MiG-29s. Of these, between 10 and 14 fighters have been transferred to Ukraine, according to sources.
Some of these upgraded aircraft were also seen in Ukrainian videos of the Fulcrum’s combat employment. Poland’s remaining MiG-29s are located at the 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork, with reports mentioning 14 operational airframes.
2022 Negotiations
The latest negotiations took a different way compared to the earlier ones in 2022. In fact, on that occasions, Poland negotiated the transfer of the MiG-29s via the U.S. government.
The initial proposal was to move all Polish MiG-29s to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, from where the U.S. would make them available to Ukraine. In exchange, Poland asked for the supply of second-hand aircraft to replace the capabilities it would lose by giving away the MiGs.
The Polish move took apparently by surprise the U.S., which however initially said it would give the green light to the transfer. That transfer ultimately did not take place, as the Pentagon later said it would not support it.
