Poland grounds MiG-29 military jets after crash
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
05.03.2019 08:00
Poland’s air force has grounded its entire fleet of aging Soviet-designed MiG-29 jets pending an investigation following a crash north-east of Warsaw on Monday.
Photo: PAP/Przemysław Piątkowski
A MiG-29 military jet crashed in an uninhabited area near the village of Drgicz, some 70 km from the Polish capital, on Monday afternoon, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.
The pilot ejected before the crash and was undergoing tests at a hospital, officials said.
After the accident, the Polish defence ministry said it aimed to buy 32 multi-role "fifth-generation" fighters to replace worn-out MiG-29 and Su-22 aircraft by 2026 as part of the country’s multibillion military upgrade programme announced last week.
Last year, a Polish air force pilot was killed when a MiG-29 fighter jet crashed near the northern town of Pasłęk.
(gs/pk)
Source: PAP