14 Gripens for 10 years for about €63 million per annum.

[John]

...excluding pilots, technicians and for normal maintenance of the aircraft in addition to consumable items such as aircraft fuel.

You do get:
12 Gripen C,
2 Gripen D,
maintenance equipment,
a fully integrated logistics support package
-including spares, ground support equipment, repairs
-technical and tactical support systems during the whole leasing period.

1 CZK = 0.03174 €

Czech Republic Leases Gripen


(Source: FMV Swedish Defence Procurement Administration; issued June 14, 2004)


Sweden and the Czech Republic has today signed a leasing agreement for 14 Gripen fighter aircraft for 10 years.

FMV (The Swedish Defence Material Administration), representing the Swedish Government, signed an agreement with its equivalent department at the Czech Ministry of Defense, at a ceremony today in Prague. The Czech Republic will lease 14 Gripen fighter aircraft (12 single-seat and 2 two-seat) of the latest version JAS 39 C/D Gripen for a period of ten years (2005-2015) according to the agreement.

The agreement follows the offer submitted by FMV in October 2003, which resulted in the Czech Governments decision to start negotiations with the Swedish government in December 2003. The negotiations have been ongoing since January 2004 and have now been successfully concluded by today's agreement.

The Czech Republic will be the first NATO-country to operate the fourth generation Gripen, to meet the country's national and NATO defense needs.

The Czech Republic will receive the latest C and D versions of the Gripen aircraft. These aircraft are the latest standard of the Gripen and are equipped with full color cockpits, air-to-air refueling probes, and are fully NATO-interoperable. The Gripen aircraft will be delivered to the Czech Republic during April-August 2005.

Sweden will provide extensive operational and tactical training of both Czech pilots and technicians as a part of the agreement. The training will be done in Sweden with the Swedish Air Force who is responsible for the training program.

Saab AB will be responsible for certain adaptations of the Gripen aircraft to meet the Czech requirements. Saab AB will also provide technical support during the whole duration of the leasing period.

Training devices will be supplied by Sweden during the whole leasing period to provide an in-country training capability, and in addition simulator training will be provided in Sweden.

The agreement also covers the provision of the necessary maintenance equipment, a fully integrated logistics support package including spares, ground support equipment, repairs and technical and tactical support systems during the whole leasing period. The integrated logistics support package includes the transport of materiel between Sweden and the Czech Republic, publications and technical support during the whole leasing period. This support concept is the same model as used by the Swedish Air Force.

The Czech Republic is responsible for its own pilots, technicians and for normal maintenance of the Gripen aircraft in addition to consumable items such as aircraft fuel.

The total value of the contract is 19.650 billion CZK.

-ends-

[ForkTailedDevil]

There is a bit of an argument going on over the deal in the Czech governemnt as to whether it would have been cheaper to go with some of the F-16s that had been on offer.The Americans apparently put a lot of pressure on the Czechs to take the Falcons and the Czech eventually told them to get lost.Apparently various taxes etc weren't put on the deal shown to ministers and so it looked like they were a better deal than second hand F16s.

Just as a side note, Czech Gripens will not be deployed out of country and are exclusively tasked with defence of Czech airspace.

[DeV]

"The total value of the contract is 19.650 billion CZK" this means over the ten year period, thats 1.965 billion CZK per year.

[DeV]

Sorry miscalculated there, figures are right, but can't delete my previous post.

[Goldie fish]

Yay...lets talk about jets again...

[yooklid]

Originally posted by Goldie fish
Yay...lets talk about jets again...

Yes, it's about time we started flagelating each other again.

[SPOOKY]

Sounds like #63 Mil wasted if you ask me -espically given the've just joined NATO & can call on neighbouirng airforces to do the job for them if needs be...

Imgaine the infrastruture the Czech's could have bulit with that every year..........

[yooklid]

Originally posted by SPOOKY

Imgaine the infrastruture the Czech's could have bulit with that every year..........

Have you joined the SP?

[ias]

Would 12 F-5Es at €14 million per annum (as obtaind from Switzerland by Austria including maintenance and training) not make more sense? Easier to convert to given the ACs lack of experience with (relatively) high performance aircraft, more tradition avionics, capable of airspace patrol/protection, capable of ground attack to give realistic environment to ground troops in training, and operationally capable, Swiss F-5Es reportedly can take Mavericks, albeit limited theatre.

IAS

[andy]

Sounds like #63 Mil wasted if you ask me -espically given the've just joined NATO & can call on neighbouirng airforces to do the job for them if needs be...

Imgaine the infrastruture the Czech's could have bulit with that every year..........

Didnt some other former eastern block country get this ? Its probably down to czech pride than anything. Still it would be nice to have Gripen for €63million a year:D

[ForkTailedDevil]

Hungary has done something similar.They have also leased some of the Czech L159s to prepare for theirs.

[1st Aider]

Guys, we haven't a hope in hell of getting anything in the next 10 years other than a couple of helis.Next purchase will be in 30 years id say then.Gripens? We'll be lucky if we get something to replace the Gulfstream over the next decade.Much as I'd love some jets, it won't happen this side of 2015

[Come-quickly]

Thanks for enlightening us, you see most of us dont really keep track or take much interest in military matters.

[Harry]

I dunno, Fine Gael are pushing all the right buttons at the moment in terms of Defence and nothing about it seems to be blatant electioneering .Given the limited number of military personnel and their fragmentation over every constituency, targeting a defence vote is not viable so Fine Gael do seem to care more about defence than all the others. Unfortunately, the next rainbow will have green in it so unless the invent Saab Grippens that run on cooking oil and fire polysteyrene NERF missiles, I don't think the AC will have fighters.:( :( :(