Ukraine is maintaining and upgrading its MiG-29 fleet in Lviv, where the local repair plant also undertakes work on other Soviet-era jets for a range of foreign customers, as Alexander Golz reveals.
Lviv State Aircraft Repair Plant
The MiG-29 is the backbone of the Povitryani Syly (PS, Ukrainian Air Force) fighter fleet today and is the air arm’s only combat aircraft used by three brigades. Work is under way to modernise the Fulcrum to MiG-29MU2 standard as a result of experiences during the so-called Anti- Terrorist Operation (ATO) in the east of Ukraine.
These enhancements address the single-seat 9.13 Fulcrum-C version. Like the improved MiG-29UM1, which entered PS service in 2009, MiG-29MU2 upgrade work is due to take place at the Lviv State Aircraft Repair Plant (LSARP) in the west of the country.
The plant, originally founded on October 15, 1939, belongs to Ukraine’s state-owned Ukroboronprom concern. When it comes to overhauling or repairing MiG-29s, LSARP is not only the first choice for the PS but also for a range of foreign clients. Currently, the Lviv plant is able to work on a range of MiG-21 versions – PF, PFM, R, M, MF, MT, bis and UM – as well as the MiG-23UB, MiG-27D and MiG-27M, in addi…
