The Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Slovak: Vzdušné Sily Ozbrojených Síl Slovenskej Republiky), is the aviation and air defense branch of the Slovak Armed Forces. Operating 36 aircraft from 3 major bases : Malacky - Kuchyňa, Sliač, Prešov. It succeeded the Czechoslovak Air Force together with the Czech Air Force in 1993. The Slovak Air Force is part of NATO Integrated Air Defense System - NATINADS.
The Slovak Air Force is tasked with the defense of the sovereign Slovak state and the support of the nation's ground troops. Twelve Russian upgraded fighter aircraft MiG-29 together with eight modernized basic and light advanced trainers Aero L-39 dominate the inventory, followed by the Let L-410 and Antonov An-26 transport aircraft. The helicopter fleet consists of the ten Mil Mi-17 and two Mil Mi-2. Eight Mil Mi-24 were withdrawn from service on September 20th 2011. The Slovak Air Force has been under the command of Brig.General Miroslav Korba since September 15th, 2012.
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: "Fulcrum") is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the larger Sukhoi Su-27, was developed to counter new American fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. The MiG-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983; unofficially, some Soviet pilots made use of the NATO designation "Fulcrum" for the type.
While originally oriented towards combat against any enemy aircraft, many MiG-29s have been furnished as multirole fighters capable of performing a number of different operations, and are commonly outfitted to use a range of air-to-surface armaments and precision munitions. The MiG-29 has been manufactured in several major variants, including the multirole Mikoyan MiG-29M and the navalised Mikoyan MiG-29K; the most advanced member of the family to date is the Mikoyan MiG-35. Later models frequently feature improved engines, glass cockpits with HOTAS-compatible flight controls, modern radar and IRST sensors, considerably increased fuel capacity, and some aircraft have been fitted for aerial refuelling.