F-35A II . Lighting
The government of the Czech Republic has allowed Defense Minister Jana Černochova to start negotiations with the United States government on the purchase of the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Thus, the information obtained by Defense24 during the ILA 2022 air show in Berlin was confirmed. The machines will enter service after the lease of the Swedish JAS39 Gripen fighters expires in 2027.
The decision to acquire the F-35 was made in the context of analyzing the needs and capabilities of the full range of tasks, from protecting the airspace to supporting the ground forces. In the decision-making process, the Czech Ministry of Defense relied on an analysis prepared by the Allied Expert Center, the Combined Air Force Competency Center.
According to Major General. Karela Řehki, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, the F-35 is not a combat aircraft or a bomber – “it is an aviation command center that combines a fighter, an air defense component, the last reconnaissance and communications, and at the same time is part of a vast network of Internet of machines, including aircraft without pilot, thanks to which it can perform tasks that are completely beyond the capabilities of existing machines. ”
According to General Řehka, American fifth-generation aircraft were also selected due to their long planned life cycle. As he emphasized, it was a platform that fit not only the current concept of combat, but also the concept that would take place until 2040, 2050 and possibly even 2060. On July 20, 2022, the Czech government commissioned negotiations with America alongside Minister Jana Černochova, who said: “If we don’t reach agreements by October 2023, we will not block the way for any other solutions.” – The justification for this situation is quite simple – the lease of the Swedish JAS39 Gripen fighters will be at the end of 2027. By that time, the Czechs want to present their successor.
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