The Minister of Defense, Jana Černochová, together with US Ambassador Bijan Sabet, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Czech Republic and the United States for the acquisition project of 24 fifth-generation F-35 aircraft. This is the most significant purchase in the history of the Czech Army.
The
purchase of 24 American F-35A Lightning II aircraft was approved by the government
in September 2023. By the end of March 2024, it was necessary to take a series
of administrative steps and formally conclude this phase of the strategic
project, i.e., to confirm the Memorandum of Understanding between the Czech
government and the USA. The Memorandum was signed on Monday, January 29, 2024,
by Defense Minister Jana Černochová and US Ambassador to the Czech Republic,
Bijan Sabet, in the presence of Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed
Forces, General Karel Řehka.
An integral
part of the contract is also the negotiated industrial cooperation, which was
contractually concluded last week. There are 11 projects prepared with Lockheed
Martin and 3 projects with Pratt & Whitney, totaling 15.3 billion Czech
crowns. Thirteen Czech companies and universities will be involved in them.
They will participate in four areas: component manufacturing, research and
development, pilot training, and maintenance, service, and repairs of the F-35.
The Czech
Republic has been negotiating with the American side in recent weeks about the
actual signing. A suitable date and place were sought. Given the health
problems of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his subsequent convalescence,
the above-mentioned variant of the memorandum's conclusion in Prague was
eventually chosen.
"I
promised that the contract for American F-35 aircraft would be concluded no
later than the end of March, and today I fulfilled that promise. With this
agreement, our country and also the army enter a new era. An era when we are not
only counting soldiers but also modern technology in the first league of
European NATO members." "Fifth-generation aircraft are the backbone
of the North Atlantic Alliance. Their acquisition will also increase the combat
capability of the Czech army," said Minister Jana Černochová after
signing.
The
procurement process will take eleven years, with the first aircraft arriving in
2031. Alongside gradual payments, the Comprehensive Implementation Plan is
being developed, defining the method of introducing the F-35 system into the
Czech Armed Forces' environment. Specifically, this involves planning
personnel, their training, construction of necessary infrastructure, service
and logistic support, development of other support services so that the gradual
delivery of all 24 F-35 aircraft proceeds smoothly from the very beginning.
The
existing Swedish Gripens will continue their work until 2035, i.e., until the
full deployment of the F-35 system. Negotiations on the operation of these
aircraft with the Swedish side are intensively ongoing into this period.
Source: https://www.byznysnoviny.cz
CzechTrade
Australia