Czechia signs agreement on purchase of US F-35 fighter jets for Czech military

Defence Minister Jana Černochová and US Ambassador to the Czech Republic Bijan Sabet on Monday signed an agreement on the purchase of 24 fifth-generation F-35s for the Czech military. Czechia will pay CZK 150 billion for the fighter jets made by the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the most expensive military purchase in the country’s modern history. The first jets should arrive in the country in 2031, the rest will be delivered by 2035. The US aircraft will replace the Swedish Gripen fighters, which Czechia now leases for CZK 1.7 billion a year. The government approved the purchase at the end of last year.