Czech government approves the plan to purchase F-35 fighter jets

The Czech government has approved a plan to purchase 24 F-35A fighter jets for the country’s air force.

This was announced on the official website of the Czech Ministry of Defense.

The decision was made as part of the plan to modernize and strengthen the Czech Armed Forces amid the growing threat from Russia.

According to the plan, the first aircraft will be ready in 2029, with delivery to the customer in 2031. Production of the remaining aircraft for the Czech Republic will be ongoing until 2035.

The Czech government plans to allocate $6.47 billion for aircraft by 2034, as well as for the development of the relevant infrastructure, ordering missile weapons, material, and technical base.

Back in June 2023, the U.S. Department of State approved the possible sale of F-35A fighter jets to the Czech Republic. The Czech government has requested the purchase of 24 F-35A (conventional takeoff and landing) aircraft and 25 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines.

In addition, the Czech Republic wants to purchase 70 AIM-120C-8 air-to-air missiles, 50 AIM-9X Block II/II, and 18 inert missiles for training.

Currently, the Czech Air Force uses 14 Gripen fighter aircraft leased from Sweden, which form the basis of the country’s combat aviation.

The country has signed a lease agreement until 2027, which will provide a short break between the transfer of the Gripen to Sweden and the adoption of the F-35A.

In addition, the existing Gripen fleet of the Czech Air Force will be able to assist in training Ukrainian pilots for this type of aircraft.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Czech Republic is in talks with Sweden to train Ukrainian pilots on JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Ministry of Defense had submitted a draft of a new mandate for training the Ukrainian military in the country for interagency discussion.