Slovakia grounds fleet of soviet-made jets after crash
SUMMARY
The Slovak Defense Ministry says a Soviet-made MiG-29 military jet from the country's air force has crashed during a training flight.
The ministry says the pilot ejected before the crash that occurred late on Sept. 28, 2019, near the city of Nitra, about 100 kilometers east of Bratislava.
The ministry said the pilot was hospitalized in a stable and not-life-threatening condition.
Slovakia has grounded its fleet of MiG-29s until an investigation into the cause of the crash is completed.
Slovak Air Force MiG-29.
Slovakia signed a deal in 2018 to buy 14 F-16 military jets from the U.S.-based firm Lockheed Martin as it seeks to replace its aging Soviet-era jets.
The first of the F-16 warplanes are scheduled to be delivered to Slovakia by 2022.
This article originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Follow @RFERL on Twitter.