US buys 81 Soviet-era fight plane from Russia’s ally costing on common lower than $20,000 every, report says

• The US has bought 81 Soviet-era fight plane from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Publish experiences.

• Kazakhstan, a historic ally of Russia, is partaking extra with Western nations.

• The planes could possibly be used for spare elements or deployed as decoys in battle areas, the Publish stated.

The US has acquired 81 out of date Soviet-era fight plane from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Publish reported.

Kazakhstan, which is upgrading its air fleet, auctioned off 117 Soviet-era fighter and bomber plane, together with MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 fighter bombers, MiG-29 fighters, and Su-24 bombers from the Nineteen Seventies and Eighties.

The declared sale worth was one billion Kazakhstani tenge, stated the Publish, or $2.26 million, equalling a median worth for every airplane of $19,300.

The US bought 81 of the aged, unusable warplanes, stated the Ukrainian Telegram channel Insider UA, per the Publish.

The motive behind the US buy stays undisclosed, stated the Publish, nevertheless it raised the potential for their use in Ukraine, the place related plane are in service.

The sale was made by means of offshore corporations, stated Reporter, a Russian English language information web site.

Given Ukraine’s continued reliance on Soviet-era weapons, the plane might both function a supply of spare elements or be strategically deployed as decoys at airfields, stated the Publish.

The Mikoyan MiG-31 was a supersonic interceptor designed to defend Soviet airspace, in accordance with Airforce Expertise. It performed a essential function in the course of the Chilly Battle.

Derived from the MiG-23, the MiG-27 was a ground-attack plane and noticed motion in conflicts just like the Soviet-Afghan Battle. The MiG-29 excelled in air-to-air fight. It was broadly exported and stays in service with some air forces.

Regardless of its age, the Su-24 — an all-weather tactical bomber — stays in service with a number of air forces, together with the Russian Aerospace Forces and Ukrainian Air Drive.

Kazakhstan, previously a part of the Soviet Union, has maintained shut ties to Russia and traditionally was one among its strongest allies. However the relationship has shifted since Russia invaded Ukraine, with Kazakhstan aligning itself extra with the West, drawing the fury of some in Russia.

The Central Asian nation’s efforts to improve its navy capabilities coincide with its growing engagement with Western nations, signaling a shift away from historic ties with Moscow, per the Kyiv Publish’s evaluation.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kazakhstan in March 2023, the place he stated that the US strongly helps “its independence, its territorial integrity,” in accordance with information company AFP.

A few of Russia’s outspoken propagandists have recommended that Russia ought to look to Kazakhstan following its invasion of Ukraine.

One Russian TV commentator, Vladimir Solovyov, stated that his nation “should take note of the truth that Kazakhstan is the subsequent downside as a result of the identical Nazi processes can begin there as in Ukraine.”

Agreements on commerce, schooling, surroundings, and mineral provides mirror the deepening ties between Kazakhstan and Western nations because it navigates geopolitical challenges posed by neighboring international locations like Russia, China, Afghanistan, and Iran.

Correction: April 28, 2024 — An earlier model of this story misstated the foreign money conversion fee of the Kazakhstani tenge to the greenback. One billion tenge is price $2.26 million, not $1.5 million.

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