The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia use different Identification Friend or Foe systems, and possible security leaks were a major problem during the modernization of the Slovak MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters bought from Russia.

It may be strange, but American-made Identification Friend or Foe systems, the same used by F-16 Fighting Falcons and other Western warplanes, fitted nicely inside the Slovak MiG-29s and were coupled with Russian radars. NATO experts who oversaw this operation reported no security leaks at all.

The Russian-manufactured MiG-29AS features an automatic Identification Friend or Foe system; and the MiG-29UBS that can only respond to other aircraft and ground control will receive additional data from ground radars.

Russian experts have long been able to install automatic Identification Friend or Foe systems without violating NATO security requirements. For instance, the entire air-defense system of Greece, a longtime NATO member, comprises Russian weapons, including the Igla -- Needle -- man-portable air-defense systems -- MANPADS, as well as the short-range, medium-range, and long-range Tor-M1, Buk-M2 and S-300PMU1 Favorit surface-to-air missiles with NATO-class Identification Friend or Foe systems.

However, none of these systems has revealed any sensitive military secrets to date. This is another convincing argument against those NATO and U.S. politicians and generals who try to prevent the sale of Russian weapons in the West due to alleged technical incompatibility. They are guided by a desire to lobby for the economic and financial interests of national defense companies, often completely ignoring those of small nations.

However, Slovakia's decision to adopt revamped Russian MiG-29s shows that the national interests of some NATO countries are sometimes more important than the so-called Euro-Atlantic solidarity, under which NATO members must obey all orders from Brussels or Washington.

On the other hand, the Russian defense industry has displayed impressive potential, proving that it can easily meet the requirements of European companies and armed forces. This can be accomplished if only European nations display the political will.

Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland are also NATO members that operate Russian MiG-29 fighters. Their national governments will also have to choose between political considerations and cheap, top-quality and cost-effective modernization programs.

(Nikita Petrov is a Russian military commentator. This article is reprinted by permission of RIA Novosti. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.)

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)

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