The Czech government decided to continue leasing the 14 JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets for another 14 years from Sweden, confirmed the Swedish export authority (FXM) in the late afternoon (CET/GMT) of Wednesday September 11th, 2013.

Sweden and the Czech Republic are finishing the final conditions of the new deal, says FXM general director Ulf Hammarström. ,,We are convinced we found a really good solution that meets the requirement of the Czech Air Force now and in the future.”

The 12 JAS 39C Gripen single-seat and 2 JAS 39D Gripen two-seat multirole fighters have been part of the Czech air defences since 2005, when they started to replace obsolete MiG-21s. The Russian made jets were inherited from the former Czechoslovakian armed forces, when the combined country split up in 1993, a few years after the fall of the so-called Iron Curtain.

,,The strategic partnership Sweden has with the Czech Republic creates advantages for both countries, with benefits for the Swedish defences, the Swedish tax payers and other Gripen users as well”, says FXM’s Hammarström.

The deal that will be signed by both countries includes training of Czech personnel and upgrading of the 14 fighter jets, as well as logistic and operational support in the daily usage of the Swedish made fighter (J), attack (A) and reconnaissance (S) jet.