Czech Republic upgrades JAS-39 Gripen fighters

?By Alimat Aliyeva

The Czech Republic will modernize the JAS-39 Gripen fighters in its Air Force, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

The fighters will be upgraded based on the conclusion of an additional agreement with Sweden to their lease agreement. The document will be signed in the first half of the year. The cost will amount to 1.028 billion crowns (about $43.5 million).

The upgrade will affect aircraft communication and identification systems. The capabilities of the weapons installed on them will be expanded. The fighters, according to the agency, will be able to carry out round-the-clock in-flight refueling.

There are 14 Gripen in the Czech Air Force. The fighters were leased from Sweden in 2005. Its term expires in 2027. The annual rent is approximately 1.7 billion kronor (about $75 million).

Prague, as the Czech media informed earlier, is negotiating with Stockholm to extend the lease of the squadron until 2035, when Swedish aircraft in the national Air Force should replace 24 American F-35 fighter jets. Their purchase in September 2023 was approved by the Czech government.