KIEV, May 31 (AVN) - The Ukrainian Defence Ministry decided to remove from the inventory of the Air Force the MIG-23 Flogger fighters and modernise the fleet of MIG-29 Fulcrum fighters and SU-25 Frogfoot attack planes, Alexander Kuzmuk, the Ukrainian defence minister told reporters on Wednesday.
Given that the Ukrainian aircraft building and repair plants cannot maintain the whole complex of works, the modernisation will be made in co-operation with foreign (supposedly Russian, French or Israeli) enterprises. According to Kuzmuk, Ukraine will choose partners considering their conditions. First of all the avionics of the planes should be modernised, for the faults in the avionics were shown in the hostilities in Yugoslavia, Kuzmuk said.
Part of the modernised Fulcrums and Frogfoot planes can be sold in the future, and the money obtained will be spent on modernisation of other types of Ukrainian Air Force planes.