Defence

Egypt and Yemen have contracted the Ukrainian defence ministry's Odessa aircraft repair station (Odesaremservis) to modernise their fleets of RSK MiG-21 fighters, according to information revealed late last month during the Aviasvit 2008 air show in Kiev.

Pictures shown during the event illustrated Egyptian MiG-21PFM and Yemeni MiG-21bis aircraft that have already been upgraded. The Soviet-era aircraft received technology insertions corresponding to "fourth and fifth generation fighters", Odesaremservis claims.

A key element of the work was the integration of the Sura helmet-mounted sight, which provides target designation and a firing envelope of +/-75° for R-60 and R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles.

Two 5 x 5in (125 x 125mm) multifunction cockpit displays are also offered as options, along with a new head-up display. Ukraine is offering a similar package of upgrades for MiG-23/27-series strike aircraft, but has so far only performed the work on a handful of its own aircraft.

Further pictures shown at Aviasvit provided evidence that Yemen has also chosen to upgrade its Aero Vodochody L-39 trainers in Ukraine. The work includes the installation of a sensor/designator turret under the aircraft's fuselage that enables the type to perform light attack tasks using precision-guided weapons.

The air forces of Belarus and Ukraine have launched more modest L-39 upgrades also offered by Odesaremservis, with the work introducing a revised avionics suite and a multifunction cockpit display. A full specification L-39M upgrade would also add identification friend-or-foe equipment, and an Ivchenko-Progress AI-25TLSh engine offering a 10% increase in thrust and an improved rate of climb.