TSAMTO, October 6. On October 3, the Czech Ministry of Defense handed over to the American side a letter of request for a proposal on the possibility of supplying F-35 Lightning-2 fighters.
The Ministry explained that this document is not a binding requirement. By sending it, the Czech government only indicates its interest in starting negotiations with the American side on the purchase of aircraft. The transmission of the letter is a necessary prerequisite for further discussion of the issue.
As planned, representatives of the Czech Defense Ministry will discuss the parameters of the acquisition and operation of aircraft during a visit to the United States in mid-October 2022. One of the important points of the upcoming negotiations will be the possibility of participation in the project of the Czech industry.
The government's decision to start negotiations with the United States is based on an analysis conducted by specialists of the Czech Armed Forces, according to which it is claimed that only the most modern "fifth generation" aircraft will be able to "survive" in the theater of the future.
The Czech Government has authorized the Ministry of Defense to negotiate the acquisition of F-35 aircraft after the expiration of the lease of 14 Swedish Gripen fighters. No later than October 1, 2023, the Minister of Defense must inform the Government about the parameters agreed by the parties for the purchase and operation of F-35 aircraft. Based on the analysis of the proposals, the government will decide on the purchase of fighters.
As reported by TSAMTO, in July 2022, the Czech government authorized Defense Minister Yana Chernokhova to negotiate with the US government on the possibility of acquiring F-35A Lightning-2 multipurpose fighters. To assess the parameters of the purchase of 24 F-35 aircraft to equip two squadrons of the Czech Air Force, the Minister had to form an interdepartmental negotiating group.
According to the Czech Ministry of Defense, the decision to purchase new fighters must be taken now, since the cost of weapons systems is constantly increasing, and due to the growing demand, production facilities and production materials are becoming scarce, which increases the order lead time.
Currently, the Czech Air Force is armed with 14 JAS-39 Gripen fighters, whose lease contract expires in 2027. At the same time, according to estimates, the F-35 will be a highly competitive aircraft even in 2040, and the generation of 4+ fighters will be obsolete by then.
The increase in the number of fighters in the Czech Air Force is justified by the fact that the existing fleet no longer meets the current tasks, and taking into account the deterioration of the security situation, the volume of tasks performed will only grow.
The Czech authorities expect that the unification of the fighter fleet with the United States, Poland and other NATO allies will strengthen cooperation, allow joint training, support, repair and modernization, reducing costs.
The interdepartmental negotiating group, which, in addition to representatives of the Ministry of Defense, included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Trade, was formed in August 2022. The working Group of the Ministry of Defense is headed by Deputy Ministers Blanca Chupakova and Jan Yiresh.
The first meetings of the Czech and American expert groups began in September 2022.
