Sweden submits new offer for Czechia’s lease of Gripen fighter jets

Sweden has submitted a new offer to Czechia that would extend the use of their JAS-Gripen fighter jets. After 2027, the army could use twelve Gripens instead of the current fourteen, and the Czech Republic would pay around 16.65 billion crowns for lease, service and training at the current exchange rate. The Czech Ministry of Defence told Czech News on Tuesday that the current offer is more cost-effective than previous proposals, with which it was not satisfied. It is currently evaluating the offer. Czechia will spend another billion crowns on modernizing the Gripens in the coming years.

The Czech Air Force has been using the Swedish supersonic aircraft for twenty years. The Czech Republic currently leases fourteen of the aircraft for around 1.7 billion crowns per year. The government is negotiating with Sweden to extend the lease until 2035, when the Gripens will be replaced by twenty-four American F-35 aircraft.