The Algerian Defence Ministry is reportedly set to donate surplus Russian-supplied MiG-29 fighter aircraft to the Sudanese Air Force, which currently operates the class as its primary manned combat jet. Unconfirmed reports of this development follow five years of instability in the East African country after a Western-backed coup in April 2019 that overthrew the administration of popular military leader President Omar Al Bashir. The fracturing of the country’s armed forces and deep penetration by European and other foreign interests in the following years culminated in the outbreak of a domestic conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the former Janjaweed militia, with the latter having re-formed into the Rapid Intervention Forces with strong support and funding from the United Arab Emirates. Algeria’s support for the Sudanese Armed Forces comes as Khartoum has increasingly turned to Tehran, a close strategic partner of Algiers, for drones and other military equipment, and as the United Arab Emirates has itself played a leading role in funding anti-Algerian political forces in West Africa. Algeria has emerged as a leading power on the continent outside the Western sphere of influence, and in recent years had provided significant support to the government of Niger amid the threat of French invasion, while also supporting Malian efforts to evict French forces from the country.
The Algerian Defence Ministry placed its first order for 31 MiG-29 fighters in 1999, with these all delivered the following year as part of a joint contract with Russia and Belarus. The fighter class was previously expected to play a much larger role in the Algerian Air Force, before orders for heavily enhanced MiG-29SMT fighters made in 2006 were cancelled and the aircraft returned to Russia. The Air Force instead strongly favoured the Su-30MKA heavyweight fighter, which although more costly was far more capable. While the Su-30MKA currently forms the backbone of the Algerian Air Force with an estimated 72 in service, the MiG-29 is a much lighter aircraft with a shorter range, smaller radar and lower missile carriage. Its size is thus comparable to the American F-18C/D, and significantly larger than the F-16 that forms the backbone of NATO’s air fleets.
Algeria accelerated the phasing out of older MiG-29s from 2020 with the acquisition of 14 cutting edge MiG-29M fighters and 16 more Su-30MKAs. The MiG-29M uses a heavily revised airframe design and is both far cheaper and easier to operate and much more capable than the original Soviet design, with its acquisition leaving the country with a surplus of older MiG-29s. The Algerian Air Force is considered the most capable of that of any Muslim majority country, and is reportedly set to be further modernised in the latter half of the decade with the acquisition of Su-57 fifth generation fighters.