As has been discussed in previous articles, the Czechs and Hungarians have similarities in the adoption of fighter jets, namely they both rely on the Gripen C/D produced by Saab. What is unique is that both countries, due to budget constraints, chose the leasing option, aka leasing Gripen from Sweden.
And there is the latest news coming from Sweden, which offers the Czechs to own a fleet of 14 units (12 Gripen C and 2 Gripen D) for free after the lease expires in 2027. How come?
Quoted from seznamzpravy.cz (29/6/2022), the statement as well as a tempting offer came from the Swedish Ambassador to the Czech Republic Fredrik Jörgensen, who said in an interview with Seznam Správy that the Czechs could keep and use the Gripens rented from Sweden for free.
Of course there was a trigger for this statement, namely because the Czechs were considering the procurement of new fighter jets after the Gripen lease expired.
The backdrop for this case is that the Government of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, urgently wants to decide by July 2022, around which fighter jets Czech pilots will use after the current gripens lease expires.
Although the value is not stated, Sweden and the United States are apparently interested in a giant contract worth tens of billions of dollars. One interesting point from the procurement of new fighter jets, the Czechs will no longer use the leasing model.
Sweden's Saab, which already has a track record in the Czech Air Force, offers the next-generation Gripen E/F, like the one used by the Brazilian Air Force. But Sweden cannot walk alone, because the US offers the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet which is being loved by wealthy countries in Europe. For this reason, the discussion on procurement is currently being carried out at a high level.
"Time is at stake, the sooner the Czechs join the queue among those interested in the F-35 fighter jet, the better," said Jan Bartošek, deputy speaker of the Czech Republic's parliament.
He added that the Czechs also did not want to continue in the form of leasing procurement, but wanted to buy 24 units of fighter jets, namely two squadrons.
Meanwhile, Czech Defense Minister Radovan Vích's camp, who recently participated in the NATO summit, stated that everything was still under discussion, and for now the Gripen would still be used.
“There has been talk that we need 24 aircraft and preferably the F-35. To that, I add that if he decides like this. However, it must be noted that an hour of flying the Gripen costs around $5,000, while an hour of flying the F-35 costs $30,000. To be optimal, each fighter pilot should have 150 flight hours per year. Moreover, retraining to a new type of fighter jet will be a challenge in a year or two,” said Radovan Vích.
Despite more votes in favor of the F-35, the Swedish government sought to reverse the Czech government's decision in its favor by offering to 'abandon' the existing Gripen squadron.
“It is possible to transfer the currently chartered aircraft to the Czech Republic at no cost. They (Saab) are basically paid, it's like renting a car. We will assume they are paid basically and on this basis, and we can expand the cooperation system to series C or further to series E,” said the Swedish ambassador to the Czech Republic, Fredrik Jörgensen.
The Swedish camp claims that if it adopts the Gripen E/F, the transition process will be easier, both pilots and aircraft technicians are familiar with the existing systems in the Gripen family of fighter jets.
“There is a dramatic rivalry going on here. I don't want to talk too much about this competitiveness, I just want to emphasize the essence of our offering. We believe the Gripen E is one of the best aircraft in the world,” said Jörgensen.
“If the Czech Republic decides to buy Gripen, then it will simplify training and logistical security. Current Gripen C/D pilots will no doubt be training back into the Gripen E/F much sooner than an entirely new type of aircraft. In the same way, aircraft support equipment and facilities do not need to be purchased, but the existing facilities are basically sufficient. Both of these will definitely reduce the acquisition value of the next-generation Gripen,” said military analyst Dušan Rovensk.
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| Gripen Fighter Jets |
Rovensk added that the F-35 is bigger and more powerful than the Gripen C/D and E/F. “This, of course, is reflected in the purchase price, but especially in operating costs, which are higher than the Swedish aircraft.
If standard service of the new aircraft is planned for 30 years, then that is a very large financial amount, while all that can be saved by continuing to operate Gripen aircraft within the state budget."
But on the other hand, the F-35 has a number of advantages.
"For the F-35, it is calculated to be operational and upgraded until 2070. If we buy the F-35, then we will solve the problem for the next 40 years. The costs will be higher at the start, but the F-35 will become a standard European aircraft," Rovensk said.
What is clear, the Czech Government is currently under time pressure and must make a decision soon, because the F-35 is also being ordered by several other countries.