Czechs to stick with Gripen fighters – for now
Baku, February 2 (AZERTAC). The Czech Republic wants to continue to patrol its skies with the supersonic JAS-39 Gripen jet fighters after the current lease expires in 2015, but the government will not make a final decision about the long-term outfitting of its air force until the economy improves, Prime Minister Petr Nečas (Civic Democrats, ODS) confirmed following Wednesday’s regular Cabinet meeting.
The Czech premier has also expressed reservations about the technical aspects of the Swedish fighter jets. “Gripens have not yet been tested in combat, do no communicate with the technical equipment of NATO states and have half of the range of the F-16 because they cannot refuel in-flight,” he said early last year.
US bids to protect Czech airspace could involve F-16s from Lockheed Martin or F-18s from Boeing. The European consortium that makes the Eurofighter (EADS, Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica, and BAE Systems) has reportedly tried to drum up Czech interest in taking second-hand Typhoons— a twin-engine aircraft comparable to older F-16s — that are now in use by Italy.
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