O government of the Czech Republic signed today (29) a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) officializing its intention to acquire 24 35th generation F-5 Lightning II aircraft from Lockheed Martin. Through the US government's Foreign Military Sale, the Czech Air Force will receive its first aircraft in 2031, which will be in the latest advanced Block 4 configuration. The European country becomes the 18th nation to the global F-35 program .
Including the aircraft, the acquisition also includes personnel training, services and logistics , as well as the development of other services, ensuring successful deliveries of all 24 F-35s.
The F-35 has been one of the preferred options by Europeans to replace aging fighter fleets, offering unparalleled interoperability with NATO and other nations to provide a key discriminator for the US and its allies for decades to come. By the 2030s, more than 600 F-35s will work together in more than 10 European countries, including two full U.S. F-35 squadrons at Royal Air Force Lakenheath. The F-35 is also the only fighter currently in production that will create jobs over the next 40-50 years and enable strategic industrial partnerships with Czech industry.
F-35s now operate from 32 bases around the world. To date, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 990 F-35s, trained more than 2.280 pilots and 15.400 maintainers, and the F-35 fleet has sured nearly 773.000 accumulated flight hours.
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With information: Lockheed Martin
