What Happens When A Fighter Jet is Retired?

Fighter jets are very complicated, high-profile, and valuable machines. Many find a second life with other air forces or a second life in a very difficult role (showpiece, decoy, aggressor, testbed, etc.). Many are preserved as monuments to a country’s military heritage and placed in museums or on literal monuments. As a general rule, it is comparatively unusual for retiring Russian/Soviet fighter jets to serve in other air forces. One factor is likely partly because Russian/Soviet fighter jets are less durable and have fewer flight hours than their more durable Western counterparts. This is partly why the last of the…