Mikoyan MiG-29
Fighter aircraftWikipedia
73
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Search complete. 73 mentions across 43 episodes found for "Mikoyan MiG-29".
Nov 2, 2026
Michael SmerconishGUEST
And like you, I speak to a lot of very intelligent people who are dialed in and have credentials.
Michael SmerconishGUEST
I think the issue that you're framing is exactly why this Russian MiG fighter transaction, where the Poles wanted the Ukrainians to have the MiG fighters, but they didn't want their fingerprints directly on it, so they wanted to send them to Ramstein.
Michael SmerconishGUEST
And then the United States was going to facilitate the transfer, but the United States said, no, we don't want to really be the ones either.
Michael SmerconishGUEST
Michael, what I don't understand is this.
Michael SmerconishGUEST
We're already so far into this in terms of sanctions, in terms of weaponry that we've directly provided Ukraine, in terms of money that's been allocated to fight Russia specifically.
Michael SmerconishGUEST
And then somehow, it's not okay if we're responsible for delivering these Russian-made MiG fighters to Ukraine so that they can protect their airspace, because that's a step too far.
Michael SmerconishGUEST
And then maybe we're going to we're going to cause an attack to be launched against Poland, and because of Article 5, we'll be in it.
Michael SmerconishGUEST
It's very difficult for me to see why one of those factors would cause Putin to be provoked, but not the others.
Peter LawrenceHOST
Slovakia's Prosecutor General Maros Zelenka said Friday that he had reopened a criminal case against former Prime Minister Eduard Hager, a former defense minister and former defense minister Jaroslav Nad.
Peter LawrenceHOST
over their decision to donate Slovakia's fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets and Soviet-era KUB air defense systems to Ukraine in spring 2023.
Peter LawrenceHOST
Slovakia's caretaker government, headed by Hager, approved the donation of 13 MiG-29 fighter jets and a part of the country's KUB air defense systems to Ukraine in March 2023.
Peter LawrenceHOST
All 13 jets had been delivered by April of that year, making Slovakia the first country to send fighter aircraft to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Peter LawrenceHOST
Prime Minister Robert Fico, widely seen as sympathetic to Moscow, has long criticized Western military aid, to Ukraine and the defense assistance provided by the previous Slovak government.
Stuart WebbHOST
No one has taken responsibility for any of the cyberattacks.
Stuart WebbHOST
Slovakia's prosecutor general announced on 30 October that he will reopen a criminal case against the former prime minister and former defense minister over the decision to donate the country's MiG-29 fighters and the Soviet-era KUB air defense systems
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to Ukraine.
Stuart WebbHOST
This was done under a caretaker government, and Prime Minister Robert Fico has long criticized Western military aid to Ukraine and the defense assistance from the previous Slovak government provided.
Scott ManleyHOST
If you ever look at them, if you ever look at the intakes on modern jet fighters, you'll actually see that they have mechanical parts that open and close.
Scott ManleyHOST
For example, I highlighted the MiG-29 has these ramp intakes which actually close down completely on the ground.
Scott ManleyHOST
Well, those actually adjust their position to adjust the airflow.
Scott ManleyHOST
Same is true if you're operating in the hypersonics regime.
Mark HertlingGUEST
Yeah, he's threatening all of the NATO countries now.
Mark HertlingGUEST
And I think part of that in the aircraft you were talking about was called a MiG-29.
Mark HertlingGUEST
It's the kind the Poles used to use before they started getting upgunned American weapons like the F-16 and the F-22 or 35 rather.
Mark HertlingGUEST
But Ukrainian pilots are used to flying that old MiG-29, which was an old aircraft.
Mark HertlingGUEST
Warsaw Pact type of aircraft.
Mark HertlingGUEST
So supplying them with that might increase the Ukrainian's air capability, and it's already pretty good.
Mark HertlingGUEST
NATO is trying to attack us.
Mark HertlingGUEST
And that's why I think the administration has been very careful about what they're doing.
Simon WhistlerHOST
Even later Russian modernizations, which narrowed this gap, are still far from capable of logging the sort of flight time their Western equivalents can rack up.
Simon WhistlerHOST
A Soviet-era Su-27 or a MiG-29, for example, has a lifespan of around 3,000 hours, while a modern Russian Su-35 can hold out for some 6,000 hours.
Simon WhistlerHOST
An F-16, by contrast, can go all the way up to over 10,000 hours.
Simon WhistlerHOST
And none of this gets any better when you account for the fact that older aircraft tend to need more maintenance work and need to have more components replaced.
12 MINS LATER
Simon WhistlerHOST
The VKS could, in theory, keep those aircraft listed as operational.
Simon WhistlerHOST
But that will mean either an increasing rate of crashes or those aircraft, in practice, sitting on the ground and only existing on paper.
Simon WhistlerHOST
The prime example of this problem is the aircraft that VKS inherited from the USSR, like the MiG-29, Su-24, Su-25, Su-27 and so on.
Simon WhistlerHOST
On paper, these still represent a very large percentage of the whole VKS fixed-wing aircraft fleet.
ShirvanHOST
They fly low, slow, and cheap.
ShirvanHOST
Unlike a MiG-29 or a 295, these machines can be built in bulk, launched in mass, and replaced at minimal cost.
ShirvanHOST
For militaries, this is disruptive.
ShirvanHOST
Traditional air defense is designed for high-value threats, not $20,000 loitering munitions.
Veronika ŠtěpánováHOST
Slovakia's armed forces are set to take over the protection of the country's airspace using their own F-16 fighter jets in the coming days, President Peter Pellegrini announced on Tuesday.
Veronika ŠtěpánováHOST
Until now, Slovakia's airspace has been protected by NATO allies, following the grounding of its MiG-29 jets.
Veronika ŠtěpánováHOST
The president also welcomed the modernization of the military, including new air defense systems and growing numbers of professional soldiers.
Veronika ŠtěpánováHOST
Slovak President Petar Pellegrini has signed a state budget for 2027 and formally asked the Constitutional Court to clarify his powers in appointing government ministers.
Paul BettencourtHOST
All right, no mirages or anything
Lisa SanfordGUEST
else? We do have a MiG-29.
Lisa SanfordGUEST
Oh, we
Paul BettencourtHOST
do? We do have a MiG.
Lisa SanfordGUEST
I'm not sure what the timing is on that, but the national administrator will be flying that.
Paul BettencourtHOST
Wow, you mean the national administrator?
Lisa SanfordGUEST
The national administrator will be flying the MiG-29 tomorrow.
Paul BettencourtHOST
Wow, we'll have to interview him with the side guy at some point.
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