Industrious

As part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was a center of aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Achieving independence in 1991, Ukraine inherited hundreds of Soviet warplanes and all the industry on its soil. Kiev remains a major aerospace exporter—and until the Crimean annexation, Moscow was one of its biggest customers.

Fortunately for Ukraine, very few of its airplane plants were in Crimea. Russia now controls the peninsula’s Yevpatoria factory, which maintained the Ukrainian navy’s small force of helicopters and flying boats. But facilities for repairing and upgrading jet fighters and producing air-to-air missiles are firmly under Kiev’s control in the country’s north.

They include the Aviakon plant in northwest Ukraine, which overhauls transport and attack helicopters. The MiGremont facility in eastern Ukraine can rebuilds and upgrade almost all Soviet-type jets, including Su-27s and Su-25s. The Lviv State Aviation Maintenance Plant in the west repairs and enhances MiG-29s. Artem in Kiev license-builds Soviet R-27 air-to-air missiles plus indigenous models.

Between them, these companies have developed a wide range of upgrades for Ukraine’s warplanes. The MiG-29M1, the first few copies of which appeared in late 2012, boasts GPS navigation, enhanced radios and a radar with improved detection range. Since 2012 the air force has also received at least 10 Su-25M1s with new avionics plus several Su-27M1s with GPS, improved weapons control and the ability to deploy air-to-ground ordnance.

These upgrade programs have stalled. Continuing them could cost tens of millions of dollars—and it’s not clear that Kiev can afford that. But if the government can find the cash, it could transform a dilapidated air arm into a modern fighting force. The airframes are already on hand. The factories are ready.

And with Russian troops in Crimea and Ukrainian airmen preparing for battle, the need is obvious.

David Axe’s new book Shadow Wars is out. Sign up for a daily War is Boring email update here. Subscribe to WIB’s RSS feed here and follow the main page here.