Moldovan Air Force The former Soviet Socialist Republic Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August 1992. Aerial assets at the time belonged to the Soviet Black Sea fleet and consisted of the 86th Guards Fighter Regiment (86-й гвардейский истребительный авиационный полк) equipped with MiG-29s.
All the pilots of this regiment went back to Russia and only a few Moldovans were able to fly these machines. During the Transnistrian war in 1992, some sorties were flown. Transnistria had been a disputed area since late 1990 and in Spring 1992 this led to armed conflict that ended with a cease fire on 22 July 1992. Later on, some of these MiG-29s were sold off to the USA and ended up in musea and with collectors.
The modern day Moldovan Air Force is a command level force under the Ministry of Defence. It is mainly a transport fleet based solely at Marculesti. It is equipped with some Antonov transports and Mi-8 helicopters. The remaining six MiG-29 are for sale.
