Russia, North Korea Agree To Su-27, MiG-29 Transfer | Aviation Week Network
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Brian Everstine
December 08, 2024
Credit: Piotr Butowski
SIMI VALLEY, California—The top U.S. officer in the Pacific says Russia has reached an agreement with North Korea to send MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter aircraft to Pyongyang in return for that nation deploying soldiers to help with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said Dec. 7 that North Korea provided the soldiers to Russia without prompting—the deployment was offered and accepted. The soldiers are not in active combat but have deployed to combat zones, Paparo said.
In addition to the aircraft, North Korea likely wants other capabilities in return. These could include ballistic missile technologies, especially re-entry vehicles, as well as new submarine technologies and air defenses.
While the aging MiG-29s and Su-27s are not new fifth-generation fighters, they are still “formidable,” Paparo said here at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.
