Czech army may barter L-159s for cargo aircraft
By ČTK / Published 19 July 2007
Prague, July 17 (CTK) - The Czech military may try to barter the redundant L-159 subsonic fighters for cargo aircraft instead of purchasing new cargo planes to replace the outdated Ukrainian-made An-26s, Defence Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek told CTK Wednesday, citing planned state-budget cuts as a reason. "The barter deal is being negotiated," Cirtek said, but he did not elaborate.
He added that the respective documents should be prepared for the government in the following few months.
Due to austerity measures, the military must modify the original reform and re-assess the planned investments. The military should make the decision in September.
The daily Pravo reported today that the redundant combat aircraft could be bartered for the C-295M cargo planes made by Spain's CASA .
Cirtek did not comment on the information from the paper. He only said that the negotiations on the barter are open and anybody can submit a bid.
The Czech military plans to acquire four to six cargo aircraft.
The An-26s' service life will expire in 2015. Moreover they have a limited capacity and they can cover only 2,000 to 3,000 kilometres, depending on the load.
New cargo planes are needed, for instance, for the transport of smaller contingents and humanitarian aid as well as for paratroop operations.
Bolivian Defence Minister Walker San Miguel negotiated about a possible purchase of the redundant L-159s in June. He also visited the Aero Vodochody aircraft producer.
The L-159s, have so far been sold only to the Czech army that purchased 72 aircraft in 1997. Their costs gradually increased from the planned 20-30 billion to over 51 billion crowns.
In the end, the military decided to keep only 24 of them and sell the rest. As one aircraft crashed in the meantime, the remaining 47 are now for sale.
Nigeria and Georgia recently expressed interest in the L-159s. The Defence Ministry was allegedly also considering selling the aircraft to Afghanistan or Indonesia.
The problem is that the L-159s are rapidly ageing, and their maintenance requires additional costs. Moreover, there is a high competition in their category.
http://launch.praguemonitor.com/en/129/czech_business/9650/
By ČTK / Published 19 July 2007
Prague, July 17 (CTK) - The Czech military may try to barter the redundant L-159 subsonic fighters for cargo aircraft instead of purchasing new cargo planes to replace the outdated Ukrainian-made An-26s, Defence Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek told CTK Wednesday, citing planned state-budget cuts as a reason. "The barter deal is being negotiated," Cirtek said, but he did not elaborate.
He added that the respective documents should be prepared for the government in the following few months.
Due to austerity measures, the military must modify the original reform and re-assess the planned investments. The military should make the decision in September.
The daily Pravo reported today that the redundant combat aircraft could be bartered for the C-295M cargo planes made by Spain's CASA .
Cirtek did not comment on the information from the paper. He only said that the negotiations on the barter are open and anybody can submit a bid.
The Czech military plans to acquire four to six cargo aircraft.
The An-26s' service life will expire in 2015. Moreover they have a limited capacity and they can cover only 2,000 to 3,000 kilometres, depending on the load.
New cargo planes are needed, for instance, for the transport of smaller contingents and humanitarian aid as well as for paratroop operations.
Bolivian Defence Minister Walker San Miguel negotiated about a possible purchase of the redundant L-159s in June. He also visited the Aero Vodochody aircraft producer.
The L-159s, have so far been sold only to the Czech army that purchased 72 aircraft in 1997. Their costs gradually increased from the planned 20-30 billion to over 51 billion crowns.
In the end, the military decided to keep only 24 of them and sell the rest. As one aircraft crashed in the meantime, the remaining 47 are now for sale.
Nigeria and Georgia recently expressed interest in the L-159s. The Defence Ministry was allegedly also considering selling the aircraft to Afghanistan or Indonesia.
The problem is that the L-159s are rapidly ageing, and their maintenance requires additional costs. Moreover, there is a high competition in their category.
http://launch.praguemonitor.com/en/129/czech_business/9650/