From this Thursday (01), Slovakia's airspace will be defended by the air forces of Poland and the Czech Republic. The country has retired its fleet of MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters, but has yet to receive the F-16s purchased from the US. 

According to NATO Allied Air Command, the defense ministers of Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia signed, at the end of this month, the agreement to guarantee the continuity of air policing over the country.

Czechs and Poles will have fighters ready in their respective bases in the case of a Rapid Reaction Alert in Slovak airspace to, for example, identify unknown aircraft and protect the friendly nation's skies.

The Slovak Air Force has retired its MiG-29s of Russian origin. The farewell to the planes, in service since the 1980s, took place at the Slovak International Air Festival, on August 27th. In this way, the L-39 Albatros are the only fighter jets in the country, until the arrival of the new F-16 Block 70, scheduled for 2024. 

“The conflict in Ukraine has shown us how important unity within NATO and mutual aid between Allies are. I am pleased to discuss on behalf of the Czech Republic the provision of assistance to our Slovak neighbors in defending their airspace.”, said the Czech Defense. Minister Jana Černochová.

Since 2017, the Czech and Slovak Air Forces had agreements to fly in each other's airspace to carry out air policing. Being responsible for Allied Air Policing in the northern region, the NATO Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Uedem will coordinate and control these temporary arrangements.

“Polish fighter jets will preferably take off from a base located on Polish territory. The Czech fighters will also provide air policing tasks from a base located on the territory of the Czech Republic and will return to their home bases once the mission is completed.”, said a spokeswoman for the Slovak Defense Ministry.

As for the Slovak MiG-29s, their future is uncertain. In July, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said the fighter jets would be donated to Ukraine, along with T-72 tanks, in addition to confirming that, as of September, the Czech Republic Air Force (CzAF) would be responsible for Slovak airspace.

However, recent statements by the Slovak Minister of Defense Jaroslav Naď pointed out that the Ukrainians did not receive the planes. “We are negotiating with our allies and partners on what to do with them next. The decision has not yet been made and we will let you know when to change.”, said the Minister. 

Slovakia has a fleet of 11 MiG-29SD Fulcrum, modernized to meet some NATO requirements. In 2005, the company RAC MiG updated the planes with the addition of a glass cockpit, communication and navigation systems from North American Rockwell Collins, IFF (Friend-Foe Identification) systems from British BAE Systems and a new mission computer. 

With information NATO