Czech Republic's Gripen Fighters to Engage Ground Targets - Official

The Czech Defense Ministry wants to rearm its fleet of Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen jet fighters to better serve the needs of NATO air defense, a ministry official said on Monday.

“The Defense Ministry of the Czech Republic will hold a tender to beef up the Gripen jets’ onboard weapons so that they can effectively engage ground targets as well,” Petr Medek told reporters in Prague.

He said that additional arms, to be installed before 2018, would help the planes better serve the interests of NATO’s joint air defense.

Under a 10-year deal signed in 2004, the Czech Republic paid about 19.6 billion crowns (US $984 million) for the lease of 14 JAS 39 Gripen jet fighters.

In 2013, the Czech Defense Minister Vlastimil Picek announced plans to extend the country’s lease of the Gripens, which had  replaced the Soviet-made MiG 21 jets.

In 2007, Hungary leased 14 Gripen jets  but their equipment with moderns arms has been held up due to the lack of funds.

In June 2015, Slovakia signaled its desire to lease the Swedish-made fighter jets to replace its fleet of Soviet-made MiG-29 planes built 25 years ago.