UPDF Tests Mig Fighter Jets

By Yunusu Abbey THE army has started testing its MiG-21 fighter planes acquired from Belarus, a former Soviet Union republic, to boost the airforce fleet. Lt. Col. Phinehas Katirima (pictured above), the UPDF spokesman, said yesterday Ugandan pilots were flying the planes with the help of expatriates. "They have started testing and exercising with two of the MiG-21 fighter planes the Government bought. But I don't know how long the exercise will last," he said. Aviation sources said Ugandan pilots flew the Russian-made planes out of Entebbe Airport last week, attracting curious on-lookers in Entebbe. "At least two of the MiG-21 planes which took off from the airport, were on Thursday seen flying over Kitoro trading centre, attracting public attention," said a source. The planes were bought second-hand but have been modified to suit international aviation standards. Sources said the fighter jets returned from Israel recently. Katirima said, "Those fighter planes are being flown by our own pilots with the help of some foreign instructors," he said but declined to name their nationalities. The four MiG-21 planes, bought in 1998, were taken to Israel for modification. The modification covered increasing the aircrafts' armament capacity and firepower, replacing the avionics system and wing span among others. In 1998, Ugandan airforce pilots refused to fly the MiGs because they had no logbooks. Last year, 17 Ugandans were sent to Israel to train on the MiG-21 planes. The group comprised trainee pilots, technicians and engineers. Until recently, the airforce mainly relied on a fleet of helicopters. The Italian-made light aircraft bought for the airforce in the early '90s had accidents. A MiG-21 has a range of 2,030km, it can cruise at 2,175km per hour, flies 17,000 metres above the ground and has a bomb load of 1,500kg among others. Ends