Media: US Defence Secretary Austin to visit Prague to discuss F-35s sale

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin will likely visit Prague next week in order to discuss the purchase of 24 F-35 Lightning combat aircraft that the Czech Defence Ministry wants to buy to replace its ageing fleet of Gripen fighters, news site Seznam Zprávy reported on Tuesday. If the deal were to go through, it would be the most expensive Czech Armed Forces contract in the country’s modern history, worth tens of billions of crowns.

The Czech Ministry of Defence refused to confirm or deny Secretary Austin’s visit for security reasons, the Czech News Agency reports.