Airlines
Czechs Want F-35 Fighter Jets, CV-90 Fighting Vehicles
Czech government has decided to begin negotiations with the United States about purchasing #F-35 Lightning II fighter jets from #Lockheed Martin Corp. to replace the leased Gripen fighters from Sweden’s Saab AB.
According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the Czech government has decided to begin negotiations with the United States about purchasing F-35 Lightning II fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp. to replace the leased Gripen fighters from Sweden’s Saab AB. After cancelling a bid for the supplies, the NATO member state will also take the lead in negotiations to purchase fighting vehicles from a Swedish affiliate of BAE Systems.
At a live-streamed press conference, Fiala stated, “This is another step to modernise the army and meet our alliance responsibilities.” These are crucial choices at a time when the security of Europe and the Czech Republic is confronted with fresh difficulties brought by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
The nation now has 14 Swedish-built Gripen aircraft that are leased through 2027. In June, Lockheed Martin stated that it may deliver the first F-35 fighter jets to Germany, which borders the Czech Republic, in 2026 and that it expected receiving more orders for the aircraft in Europe, possibly from Greece and the Czech Republic. According to a deal announced on Monday by the US Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin, around 375 F-35 fighter jets would be built over a three-year period.
A $2.6 billion tender for around 210 tracked fighting vehicles, which involved BAE Systems, General Dynamics, and Rheinmetall, was also canceled by the Czech government. The CV-90, an armoured vehicle produced by a Swedish division of BAE Systems, would instead be discussed with the Swedish government, according to Cernochova.
