The Government of the Czech Republic has made a crucial decision in the domain of acquisition and modernisation of the Czech Armed Forces.
An wednesday announcement reads that the Czech Republic plans to purchase 24 F-35 Lightning II multirole fighters to replace their current fleet of 14 Gripen fighter jets.
In 2004 , the Czech Republic had signed a contract to lease 12 Gripen C/D fighter plane from Sweden within the single-seat model and two within the two-seat model. The lease will expire in 2027 and may be prolonged for one more two years.
Now , there is a twist to the story , Swedish government is trying at the last minute to influence the Czech government’s plans in its favor. Saab offers the new E-series Gripens to Prague. They say , Saab — the Swedish manufacturer, can deliver the cost-effective fighter aircraft faster.
Swedish ambassador to the Czech Republic Fredrik Jörgensen says ,“It is possible to transfer these currently leased aircraft to the Czech Republic at virtually zero cost. They’ve already been paid; it’s like a leased car.” “We would consider them paid off, and on this basis, we could extend the cooperation system to include C series Gripens or E series Gripens.”
However , Czech Republic wants to strengthen the defence capability for the following decades and fulfilling their NATO membership commitments. Russian invasion of Ukraine has made a paradigm shift, and the country has decided to modernise Czech Army , as the it anticipates and faces new security challenges.
Minister Černochová has been authorised to negotiate the procurement of F-35 Lightning II multirole fighters with the United States Government. She understands , Those types of equipment are in the inventory of a number of NATO Allies and EU Member States, thanks to which the modernisation will strengthen cooperation and drive down the maintenance costs.
“Today is a crucial day for the future of our defence acquisitions. The Government decided to cancel the tender for new infantry fighting vehicles and authorised me to negotiate the procurement of the Swedish CV90 combat vehicles with the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden. Another point on the agenda of the Government’s session was the future of the Czech supersonic air capability. I was authorised to form an inter-ministerial negotiating team and commence negotiations with the United States Government to procure 24 units of the F-35 Lightning II multirole fighters to equip two squadrons”, Defence Minister Jana Černochová said after the Cabinet session.
F-35 Lightning II is the 5th generation state-of-the-art aircraft that will provide a broad spectrum of capabilities to enhance our national defence posture. “Our decision to select this option is based on the analysis by the Czech Armed Forces, which clearly articulates that only the most advanced 5th generation fighters will be able to meet mission requirements in future battlefields,” explains Minister Černochová and goes on to say that the acquisition needs to be decided now because the costs of weapon systems have been growing continuously while manufacturing capacities and input materials become scarce, which extends the lead times."
“We must not hesitate, because the lead times take years,” says the Minister and adds that 2027, when the lease contract for the existing supersonic capability expires, only seems to be far away."
The F-35 multirole fighters offer a solution for decades.
“The F-35 Lightning II will represent a highly competitive aircraft even in 2040, whereas the so-called 4+ generation of fighters will have become obsolete by then. In addition, the F-35 is not just a fighter – it provides an aerial capability combining a fighter, air defence element, as well as cutting-edge surveillance and command, control and communication centre while being part of a broad network of Internet of Things including unmanned aerial vehicles, and is able to perform missions that are completely outside the capabilities of the current aircraft,” Chief of General Staff Major General Karel Řehka elaborates on the requirement of the Czech Armed Forces.
The rationale behind increasing the number of fighters is the fact that the present quantity of supersonic fighters no longer meets the current tasking and given the worsening security situation, the volume of performed missions will continue to grow.
At the same time, it is a cost-effective solution, because we will share the same equipment with the United States, Poland and a number of other NATO Allies. This will strengthen cooperation, joint training and capability sharing to the overall effect of strengthening our defence posture.
Opposition parties criticise the government because of the higher price of the F-35 jets compared to Gripens . Moreover, the country would have to invest in the new infrastructure, as the current one is adapted to Swedish technologies.
JAS-39 Gripen multi-purpose fight aircraft | Czech Armed Forces | Wikimedia Commons
Swedish jets manufacturer Saab also expressed the disappointment.
“We would expect that as a long-term partner of the Czech Republic, with whom we are working closely on the successful Gripen programme, Sweden will also be given the opportunity to present its current and future Gripen capabilities and that the Swedish government will have a transparent opportunity to present its offer,” Saab CEO Micael Johansson said.
619x316.jpg)
