Czechia to continue to protect Slovak airspace next year

Czechia will protect Slovak airspace next year, following a bilateral declaration of joint commitment signed on Wednesday by Minister of Defence Jana Černochová and her Slovak counterpart Robert Kaliňák, the Ministry of Defence announced in a press release. Czechia has been participating in the protection of the skies over Slovakia since 2022, when Bratislava retired its Russian-origin MiG-29 fighter jets after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Aircraft from Poland, Hungary and Germany also patrol Slovak airspace.

In July this year, Slovakia received the first two of the 14 F-16 fighters ordered in 2018. Another aircraft is due to follow by the end of the year, but the number is not yet sufficient to protect the country’s airspace fully. According to the Czech ministry, the declaration now includes a reciprocal statement from Slovakia that it will help protect Czech airspace if needed in future.