DefMin Dincu on resumption of MiG-21 flights: We've made a serious analysis, there is no danger for pilots

The Minister of National Defence, Vasile Dincu, on Tuesday stated, in Constanta, regarding the resumption of flights with MiG-21 aircraft, that they do not represent a danger for the pilots, Agerpres reports.

Dincu said that the suspension of flights with this type of aircraft was made in order to analyze if the MiGs can still be used, considering that in recent years there have been several accidents.

"A very serious, in-depth analysis was made of this, of the possibility of continuing the flights. We have presented a professional scenario with several courses of action to the CSAT (Supreme Council for Country Defence) and the CSAT approved one of these courses of action, that this aircraft can fly another year. They will be used for training the pilots and also for the Air Police, even if we would have managed with the foreign forces we have right now, without the MiGs. But the CSAT established this and of course that it was one of our options. They do not represent a danger for the pilots. We have also calculated that, when we suspended the flights for a while, we took into account the need of a serious analysis and we did that and we also considered the fact that in recent years there have been many accidents and we wanted to see what the causes are and what should be done in the future," said the Minister of Defence.

He said that, in the future, procedures should be started for the purchase of 5th class aircraft.

"Of course in the future it will be as announced by the President of Romania, we will start the procedures for the 5h category aircraft procurement. This is the first thing. Of course this will be in a more distant horizon, and we will also accelerate the acquisition of the two squadrons in Norway. We have already discussed with the Norwegian Minister, we discussed at the General Staff level and we will accelerate the bringing of these planes and their modernization because this is why we are talking about, bringing them as a resource to be used in the long run, this year and next year," said Vasile Dincu.