13 June 2004 01:41
Russia to do $43 million worth of repairs on Slovak MiG-29s
BRATISLAVA, June 13 (CTK) - The Slovak Defence Ministry on Friday signed a contract with the Russian RSK MiG company
on $43 million worth of repairs of Slovakia's 12 fighter planes MiG-29, the ministry officials told journalists
this weekend.
The sum corresponding to the price will be deleted from the Russian debt towards Slovakia.
Slovakia, on its part, will pay $5 to 10 million to Russia next year.
"After the modernisation, these planes will be able to operate further ten years at least. A Russian analysis
even says that they could operate another 30 years. The costs of the modernisation are very low, compared to what the
purchase of new planes would have cost," Slovak Air Force commander Jozef Dunaj said.
He said the planes will operate within the air defence in the framework of NATO.
In February Mikulas Dzurinda's cabinet decided that Slovakia would not buy new supersonic jets but would have
its current MiGs upgraded.
"We've agreed on how [the air force equipment] will develop, how many [planes] there will be, until when we
will be modernising and at what costs," Dzurinda said, referring to the air force development concept.
However, an analysis has not fully ruled out the purchase of new fighter planes in the future either. The producer of
Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighters, for example, has said he believes that the leasing of Gripens by the Czech Republic,
which the Prague government approved on Wednesday, would also raise interest on the part of Slovakia.
rtj/mr
[Czech News Agency] |
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