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Malbork is home to the 41st Tactical Air Squadron which is equipped with MiG-29 Fulcrums.
These were not delivered directly to the Polish Air Force but purchased second-hand from Germany
in 2003 and 2004. A couple of years earlier they had been upgraded by the German Air Force to
comply with NATO standards, hence the current designation MiG-29G. The arrival of the
MiG-29 meant the end of MiG-21 Fishbed operations at Malbork. The phasing out of this cold-war
icon ended a whole era of aircraft technique.
The combination of short range AA-8 Archers and helmet mounted sight makes the agile Polish MiG-29
an excellent dogfighter. When asked, Polish F-16 pilots admit that in close combat their MiG drivers are
still winning around 50% of the mock duels. However, the MiG-29 lacks long range capabilities: its old
radar has a limited range, there is no long range weapon and the fuel capacity is very limited.
In 2006 four MiG-29's from Malbork deployed to Lithuania to fulfill NATO's Baltic QRA duties. NATO MiG's
patrolling along the Russian border...
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