Can Algeria offer Sudan its surplus

Alexei Lenkov writes… Can Algeria offer Sudan its surplus “MiG-29M” fighter jets for free?

A significant change on the African defense front indicates a possible decision by the Algerian Ministry of Defense to supply the Sudanese Air Force with surplus “MiG-29” fighter jets, sourced from Russia. It is noteworthy that these aircraft are actually the main combat aircraft in its force.

These updates, although not yet officially confirmed, came after five turbulent years in the East African country. This period began with a coup in April 2019, in which a coalition backed by Western powers ousted President Omar al-Bashir.

The following years resulted in divisions in the Sudanese military forces as well as a significant increase in external influences, especially European ones. This ultimately led to the outbreak of an internal conflict between the army forces and Rapid Support Forces.

Motivated by Tehran’s ever mounting support for the Sudanese Armed Forces, Algeria continues to provide support. This strategic shift brings Khartoum closer to Algeria, due to their mutual partnership with Iran and their common interest in military technology, including drones.

Recently, Algeria has become an important player in the African continent, independent of the influence of Western powers. They provided significant aid to the government of Niger to prevent a possible French invasion, while rallying behind Mali’s campaign to expel French forces from their country.

The Algerian Ministry of Defense marked its official entry into the Air Force League with an inaugural order for 31 “MiG-29” fighters in 1999; Delivery took place the following year under a tripartite contract with Russia and Belarus. Initially, this class of fighter was intended to play a more important role within the Algerian Air Force. But this opinion was later altered when the purchase of more advanced “MiG-29SMT” fighters was discontinued in 2006, resulting in the return of these aircraft to Russia.

The Algerian Air Force has exhibited a strong preference for the “Su-30MKA” heavy fighter. This aircraft, although more expensive, has greater capabilities.

In comparison, the “Su-30MKA”, is currently the main combat aircraft of the Algerian Air Force with about 72 units in service, and is superior to the considerably smaller “MiG-29”. It is similar in size to the US “F-18C/D”, and is significantly superior to the “F-16”, which is the mainstay of NATO’s air forces.

Since 2020, Algeria has intensified the process of withdrawing older “MiG-29″ fighter jets from service. To be replaced with an additional 14 “MiG-29M” fighters and 16 advanced “Su-30MKA” fighters. In contrast to the original Soviet design, the “MiG-29M” adopts a radically revised airframe design, providing a more cost-effective and operationally efficient alternative. The purchase of these newer models thus resulted in a surplus of older “MiG-29” fighter jets.

The Algerian Air Force, is reputed to be the most capable amongst Muslim-majority nations, and is said to be developing plans to further modernize it. The “Su-57” fifth generation fighters are expected to be acquired later in this decade.