WorldTekhno.com – The United States, through the United States (US) State Department, agreed to sell a total of 24 F-35 stealth fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin to the Czech Republic. Not only that, the sale of fighter jets along with a number of weapons , spare parts and equipment in a single package The sale agreement reached USD 5.6 billion.
As the U.S. State Department said in a statement reported by Breaking Defense on Friday (6/30/2023), the proposed sale will enhance the Czech Republic’s defense capabilities and support NATO operations by protecting against modern threats and maintaining a constant presence in the region.
The department said the acquisition of new fighter aircraft by the Czech Republic, a NATO member, would not change the basic military balance in the region.
This is the reason why the 24 fighter aircraft the Czech Republic will have are either F-35A variants or conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variants like the variants flown by the U.S. Air Force.
The Czech Republic itself announced its desire to own the F-35 a year ago, when it announced that it had chosen a fifth-generation U.S. stealth aircraft over Saab’s F-16 or Gripen fighter.
“Our decision to select this option was based on an analysis by the Czech Armed Forces, which clearly articulated that only the most advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft could meet the mission requirements on the future battlefield,” Czech Republic Defense Minister Jana Cernochová said. the time. So far, the Czech Republic Air Force flies Gripen fighter jets.
Beyond the F-35A fighter jets, the State Department announced that the sale covers missiles, bombs, electronic warfare equipment and radio capabilities, and classified software. The sale also includes 25 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines. The U.S. government’s decision still needs the approval of Congress, which can reject the deal.
Assuming a successful sale, the Czech Republic will join nine other foreign military buyers, plus seven U.S. F-35 foreign “partners” in the aircraft program. The day before the announcement was made, the U.S. State Department also announced its approval for the sale of small-diameter bombs for use on the Norwegian F-35s.***
