Dasa offers MiG-29 modernisation to ex-Warsaw pact Air Forces

June 13th, 1999

Poland and Hungary, both MIG-29 users, are new members of NATO. One of the important requirements of NATO towards their new allies is the integration of the air forces into joint NATO air defence structures with assigned fighter aircraft. Currently the MiG-29 aircraft in the inventories of the Polish and the Hungarian Air Forces do not comply with the NATO/ICAO requirements in terms of communication, identification, and navigation. The same is also true of the air forces of Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria which are pressing hard to become members of NATO.

DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG's (Dasa) Military Aircraft Division, building on its experience with the ex-GDR MiG-29 aircraft which have been integrated into the German Air Force (GAF) is offering a broad range of MiG-29 modernisation options of modular design. These can be solutions which either fulfil minimum requirements as well as consist of more sophisticated upgrades, and which might safeguard MiG-29 operations under NATO conditions at least until the year 2015.

Supported by the German Ministry of Defence, Dasa is planning to establish a MiG-29 Support Group to increase the useful life of the MiG-29 aircraft and to reduce cost of ownership for the ex Warsaw Pact that operate MiG-29s This includes cooperation with local industries. The Support Group hopes that it will be able to apply economies of scale and thus reduce operating costs, in particular in the area of spares provisioning.

Dasa has gained comprehensive experience in keeping this type of aircraft operational in the NATO environment. To safeguard technical and logistical support for the MiG-29s Dasa, and the Russian companies MAPO, MiG and Rosvooruzhenie, formed MiG Aircraft Product Support GmbH (MAPS).

REF XQQEE XQQAR