Czech government approves extension of Gripen fighter jets lease with Sweden till 2035
A JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter jet, left, passes a US KC-135 Stratotanker, a US military tanker aircraft, during military exercise Nordic Response at Luleå-Kallax Airport near Luleå, Sweden, March 4, 2024. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)
PRAGUE (AP) — The government in the Czech Republic on Thursday approved a plan by the country’s Defense Ministry to extend the contract with Sweden to lease Swedish Gripen fighter jets till 2035.
The lease of the JAS-39 C/D Gripen planes for the Czech air force, which began in 2005, was to expire in 2027 after it was already extended by 12 years.
The Defense Ministry said the Czechs will pay a total of 16.7 billion Czech koruna ($790 million) for the lease of 12 fighter jets, two less than under the current contract, and also including their service and pilot trainings.
The Czechs already signed a deal with the United States last year to acquire 24 U.S. F-35 fighter jets to replace the Gripens but the first of the new jets will be delivered in 2031, with the rest by 2035.