The Czech government on Wednesday approved the purchase of 24 American F-35 aircraft for 150 billion crowns ($6.48 billion), a sum that includes all expenses for the preparation of the fighters’ operation in the Czech Republic, according to Defence Minister Jana Černochová (ODS), as she told a press conference today.
The first ones will be ready in 2029, and all 24 machines will be in the Czech Republic by 2035. The US fighter aircraft will replace the Swedish Gripen fighters that the Czech Republic leases.
The bid for the aircraft, associated equipment, training, munitions and life cycle assurance up to 2034 amounts to 106 billion crowns ($4.58 billion) and will be gradually paid for between 2024 and 2034. According to Černochová, another CZK 44 billion ($1.9 billion) will be spent mainly on infrastructure, fuel, personnel training and VAT.
The amount of $6.48 billion includes all costs and, although it is a large sum in total, on average it will amount to less than 7.3 percent of the planned annual defence spending, she said.
According to the Minister, the purchase should also include the participation of Czech industry, and 14 industrial cooperation projects for Czech companies have been prepared, including the possibility of engaging directly with the global supply chain. The Czech Republic is one of the few countries that have already negotiated such cooperation during negotiations on the purchase of aircraft, she said.
According to Černochová, after 2034, the cost of operations will be about three percent of defense spending, i.e. about CZK 4.9 billion ($211m) a year, including fuel and ammunition. In terms of the total life cycle, i.e. until 2069, she said, the acquisition and subsequent operation of F-35 aircraft will cost CZK 700 ($30) per year per capita in the Czech Republic.
According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), the purchase is an effective solution because the benefits of the system’s capabilities over its lifetime are significantly higher compared to the money the Czech Republic will pay than if another type of aircraft is purchased.
According to Chief of General Staff Karel Rehka, the manufacturer declares that it will support the aircraft in its life cycle until 2082. „The aircraft can perform a wider range of tasks than we have been able to do so far. Every single aircraft offers more variability, so there are savings in that we can use fewer aircraft and operations for the same type of tasks,” Rehka said. He said the F-35s are not only replacing 14 Gripens, but also 24 L-159s in the future. „We are reducing the number of types of aircraft, which leads to efficiency and savings,” added Rehka.
Negotiating the purchase of 24 US aircraft was entrusted by the Czech government to Černochová last July on the basis of a military recommendation. According to this, only the fifth-generation machines, which will replace the currently used Swedish Gripen, can meet the requirements for the Czech air force after 2040. The only representative of the fifth-generation aircraft is currently the F-35.
