This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
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 September 28 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.
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.
