The Czech government will commence negotiations with its American partners on the acquisition of F-35 Lightning supersonic fighters, and with its Swedish partner on the acquisition of infantry fighting vehicles, Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced during the government’s meeting on Wednesday.
According to Defense Minister Jana Černochová, negotiations with the American side on supersonic fighters are to take place until October 2023.
“If we do not reach an agreement, we will not close the door to other solutions,” the minister said following the meeting.
“The current events to the east of us and the deteriorating security situation clearly show that we must not postpone the modernization of our army for even a day,” Černochová added.
The Ministry of Defense canceled the tender for the purchase of tracked infantry fighting vehicles for more than 50 billion Swedish krona (€4.8 billion). It will now directly address the Swedish manufacturer of the CV-90 machine, BAE Systems. According to Černochová, the tender has been canceled based on the recommendation of the legal office.
“The army can operate with this vehicle, it is a suitable vehicle for the concept of our armed forces,” said the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic, Karel Řehka.
