German customs officials have confiscated two shipments of military aircraft engines, seizing MiG-29 engines destined for Algeria and Tu-142 engines for India.

According to Spiegel, the four Tu-142 engines and a shipment of MiG-29 engines were seized because they lacked the necessary permits, in violation of Germany’s strict arms control laws.

Officials intercepted the Tu-142 engines at Hahn airport in Rhineland-Palatinate state. According to Spiegel, they are worth US$3.3 million. The Indian Navy has eight Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft in service. It is expected that they will be replaced by Boeing P-8I Neptune maritime patrol aircraft.

The MiG-29 engines were seized at Leipzig airport after being serviced in Russia. Algeria has approximately 30 MiG-29s in service, which were bought from Belarus and Ukraine.

Algeria ordered 34 MiG-29 multirole fighters (28 single-seat MiG-29SMTs and six two-seat MiG-29UBTs) from Russia in March 2006, along with 16 Yak-130 trainers, 28 Sukhoi Su-30MKA fighters, eight batteries of S-300PMU-2 air-defence missile systems and 24 Almaz-Antei 2S6M Tunguska 30 mm/SA-19 self-propelled air-defence systems. The deal was worth US$7.5 billion.

However, deliveries of the MiG-29s was suspended and the 15 aircraft that had arrived returned to Russia following quality problems, but the Su-30s were accepted without issue.