The Czech Republic will purchase 24 American F-35 fighter jets, Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on Wednesday, reports AFP, Reuters and Agerpres.
F-35 simulatorPhoto: HotNews.ro / Victor Cozmei
“The first F-35s will be ready in 2029, and our pilots will then start training in the United States,” Prime Minister Fiala told the press.
According to him, the first F-35s will arrive in the Czech Republic in 2031, and the Czech army will have all 24 aircraft by 2035.
The Minister of Defense, Jana Cernochova, stated that the total price of the transaction amounts to 150 billion crowns (6.5 billion dollars).
“We will pay about 106 billion crowns for planes, ammunition, simulators, training and other elements until 2034,” Cernochova told the press.
The rest will be allocated mainly for the purchase of fuel, and this money will thus remain in the Czech state budget, she added.
The Czech military currently uses Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets, whose lease contact will expire in 2027.
“There is no time for other provisional solutions”, Minister Cernochova also said.
The head of the Czech government stated that the funding is secured after the government’s decision to allocate 2% of the state budget for defense, in accordance with the commitment to NATO.
“It is important to strengthen our ties with NATO allies. With this approach, we tell them that we take the defense of our country seriously and that they can count on us”, he added.
