F-35C fighter jet on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (Photo: Sputnik).
"The agreement will definitely be signed before the end of March or even earlier. We are looking for a suitable format and a suitable date, including taking into account the illness of (US) Secretary of Defense Lloyd) Austin," Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova told CNN on January 21.
The Czech Republic plans to pay the US 105.8 billion Czech crowns ($4.64 billion) for the F-35 fighter jet deal. According to CNN , additional costs, including the construction of a new airport, will amount to 43.8 billion crowns, while the total cost of purchasing and operating the planes by the Czech Republic until 2069 will amount to 322 billion crowns.
In September 2023, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that Prague had decided to buy 24 F-35 fighter jets from the US. He added that the first fighter jets would be delivered to the Czech Republic in 2031, while all 24 purchased aircraft would be put into service by 2035.
Currently, the Czech Air Force is equipped with 14 JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets leased from Sweden and 24 L-159 aircraft produced domestically.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that US arms sales efforts "have damaged the global economy and affected the well-being of people in many countries outside Europe".
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