Poland’s Defense Industry Eyes Ukraine Aircraft Repairs as MiG Transfer Stalls

The Deal on the Table

Poland’s state-owned Polish Armaments Group, PGZ, is positioning itself as a maintenance and repair partner for Ukraine’s combat aircraft, even as Warsaw’s government holds back additional MiG-29 transfers.

On 30 June, PGZ president Adam Leszkiewicz told Ukrinform that the company is discussing support, repair and maintenance for Ukrainian F-16 and MiG-29 aircraft supplied by partner countries. He also said PGZ is already cooperating with Ukraine on selected components for ammunition and missiles, while opening new areas of cooperation in unmanned systems.

The industrial logic is clear. Ukraine’s expanding Western-supplied aircraft fleet needs repair facilities, spare parts and maintenance capacity close to the battlefield but outside Russia’s immediate strike zone. Poland, with its geography, NATO membership and defence-industrial base, is one of the most obvious candidates for that role.

The MiG-29 Dispute

The political track is moving less smoothly. Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Warsaw would not transfer its remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine for now because an expected drone-technology agreement had not been completed.

Polish officials have framed the proposed arrangement as a two-way partnership: additional Soviet-era aircraft for Ukraine in exchange for access to Ukrainian drone experience and technologies developed under wartime conditions. Ukrainian and regional media reported that Kyiv had not finalized the arrangement, leaving the aircraft transfer on hold.

That creates a visible gap between Poland’s defence industry and Poland’s political leadership. PGZ is seeking long-term work in aircraft maintenance, drone production and missile-related cooperation. The defence ministry is trying to use military assistance to secure access to Ukrainian battlefield innovation, especially in unmanned systems.


Ukrainian-Air-Force-MiG-29

Why Aircraft Maintenance Matters

The dispute comes as Ukraine’s air force depends increasingly on donated Western aircraft and external maintenance networks. F-16s have become an important part of Ukraine’s air-defence system against Russian cruise missiles and drones, while MiG-29s remain part of the Soviet-era fleet Ukraine has used throughout the war.

Reuters reported earlier this year that Ukrainian F-16s are part of the airborne component of Ukraine’s air-defence network and that supply shortages of U.S.-made missiles had limited their operations during a period of intense Russian attacks. Aviation Week has also reported Ukrainian Air Force claims that F-16s have destroyed more than 1,000 Russian cruise missiles and one-way attack drones since entering combat.

F-16AM Ukrainian Air Force during take off

This makes maintenance capacity a strategic issue, not only a technical one. Donated aircraft are useful only if they can be kept in service, supplied with weapons and repaired fast enough to meet Russia’s missile and drone pressure.

The Political Backdrop The aircraft dispute is unfolding during a difficult period in Polish-Ukrainian relations. Historical memory issues. That said, official Warsaw is not abandoning Ukraine. Poland remains one of Kyiv’s key security partners and financial donors. But the latest dispute shows that military cooperation is increasingly shaped by domestic politics, industrial interests and bargaining over technology.