Governments sign agreement for MiG-29 upgrades cooperation (360 words)

Published: 1/16/2001

Russia and Germany signed an intergovernmental agreement on the 12th of January covering the upgrade and maintenance of the MiG-29 for third countries. The Russian Deputy Defence Minister, Mikhail Dmitriyev and the German Ambassador, Ernst-Jorg Schtudnitz, have signed an agreement, in Moscow. It is a follow-on from the long-standing MAPS industrial agreement, signed in 1993 by DASA and RSK MiG (MAPO), in conjunction with the Russian export agency, Rosvooruzhenie (recently merged into Rosoboronexport), for the upgrade of MiG-29s in service within Central and Eastern Europe. According to Dmitriyev, this is the first intergovernmental agreement between the two countries, which provides for the participation of Russia in the modernization of the aircraft under NATO standards. The three-year agreement - with an option to extend by a further three, should both parties so wish - is primarily aimed at the continued upgrading of the 120 aircraft currently in service with the Air Forces in: Poland (8 aircraft already upgraded with DASA); Hungary; Romania (upgraded 2 MiG-29 and 2 MiG-29UBs); Bulgaria (MoU with DASA for upgrades); and Slovakia. The intergovernmental agreement suggests that the relationship between EADS (formerly DASA) and RSK MIG may have improved enough to overcome the rift that was evident at the time of the rollout of the Romanian led MiG-29 upgrade - the Sniper (jointly developed with DASA and Elbit Systems). Sources, within DASA, claimed that RSK MiG had been invited to join the project, but had failed to respond. Consequently, the programme had proceeded without them. Currently, the market for upgrades appears to be uncertain. Peter Tufo, the US Ambassador is applying some heavy pressure in Hungary, so as to ensure that the MiG-29 and the upgrade programme for 14 of the Air Force's 27 aircraft (for which the Hungarians have signed a letter of intent with DASA), be abandoned in favour of a US solution. A similar tack is being taken in Poland in that it is currently making the choice between either further upgrades or alternately, adopting F-16s. The cooperation between the two parties may, therefore, find that they will have to work hard to find the business, although the costs of the MiG-29 upgrade continue to favour MAPS.

Article ID: 2296