Discussions have gone on for years. It is now official, Prague formalizes a contract for the purchase of 24 American F-35A Lightning II fighters, the Prime Minister of this country announced on Wednesday.
The first F-35s could arrive in the Czech Republic in 2031 and the Czech army will have the 24 aircraft in 2035. The amount of the transaction would amount to 150 billion crowns, or about 6 billion euros.
This decision was sewn with white thread. At the beginning of the year, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová scheduled the end of negotiations for the autumn. At the time, she explained in a statement that “negotiations covered all aspects of the potential acquisition and took place both in Washington and at Lockheed Martin’s headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.”.
A recommendation from the Czech General Staff
This decision is based on the recommendations of the Czech Chief of Staff, Karel Řehka, who considered that the F-35 “changes the rules of the game as a fifth-generation combat aircraft,” according to the Czech press.
The American aircraft thus becomes the most common fighter in Europe among NATO member countries. The United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Denmark already have them while Germany, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland and Poland have placed orders in the last two years.
Source: BFM TV
