DTN News - IRAQ DEFENSE NEWS: Iraq Interested In Czech L-159 Fighter Planes Says Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas

Defense News: DTN News - IRAQ DEFENSE NEWS: Iraq Interested In Czech L-159 Fighter Planes Says Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources  Prague Daily Monitor
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 8, 2012: Iraq military continues to be interested in the purchase of Czech-made L-159 subsonic fighter planes, Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said after a cabinet meeting today.

Necas said aircraft makers from other countries are of course competing for the contract on the delivery of fighter planes for Iraq, too.

Czech Aero Vodochody company has been negotiating about the deal in Iraq for some time. The L-159's rivals are British Hawk and a supersonic plane offered by Korea in cooperation with the U.S. producer Lockheed Martin.

Czech Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra reported on the latest development of the negotiations with Iraq representatives at the cabinet meeting today.

The next negotiating round is to take place in Bagdad within two weeks, Vondra said.

Iraqi Defence Minister Saadoun Dulaimi assured Vondra during his visit to Prague in January that Iraq keeps being interested in the L-159s.

According to available information, Iraq is first of all interested in new planes made by Aero Vodochody. The Czech Republic would like to sell also the already produced but mothballed planes, however.

Czech representatives point out that these planes may be available practically immediately, unlike new aircraft whose production may take a few years.

The sale of new Czech aircraft to Iraq might be the beginning of long-term cooperation in military aviation between the two countries.

Iraq allegedly plans to buy up to 24 new aircraft.

Czech military pilots currently use 24 L-159s, while 36 of these planes are mothballed. The maintenance of the redundant planes costs about 30 million crowns a year.

Five of the redundant planes were swapped for one CASA C-295 transport aircraft and several of them were used for spare parts or turned into two-seat aircraft. The military is considering further remaking of the unused one-seat L-159s into two-seat test aircraft, media wrote.

 
*DTN Iraq  @DTNIraq ~ Available on Twitter

Comprehensive Daily News on Iraq Today ~ © Copyright (c) DTN News Defense-Technology News 

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Prague Daily Monitor
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS 

Czechs don't expect US to scrap missile shield plans

Czech Deputy Premier Alexandr Vondra said Thursday he is not expecting the US to scrap its missile shield plans in Europe, despite President Barack Obama's decision to review the scheme which Moscow opposes.
"I don't expect it will be scrapped," Vondra said in an interview with AFP, adding that "It's up to the Americans to say what their ideas are."
Prague and Washington last year signed two deals for the installment of a missile radar southwest of Prague as part of the controversial US missile shield scheme.
Former president George W. Bush launched the plans to extend the US missile shield into Europe, basing 10 interceptors in Poland linked to a radar in the Czech Republic to counter any threat from "rogue states," primarily Iran.
But Obama's administration has begun a review of the project's costs and technical feasibility, a move which has eased fears in Russia that the shield was aimed at it.
"It's logical that a new administration coming to power wants to make a review of all important things and that's an important thing. I expect the first results of this review to be presented some time later this year," said Vondra.
However while not expecting the project to be scrapped, the Czech deputy prime minister did admit there could be delays and modifications.
"There is the question about the speed, there is the question about some adjustments," he said.
One reason not to rush could be "the question of the maturity of the threats" from Iran, but it does not mean that we're going to scrap."
Officially, Russian diplomats have downplayed US and Israeli fears that Iran is on the verge of building an atomic weapon, while Moscow has resisted calls for tougher sanctions on Tehran for its disputed nuclear programme.
However a Russian strategic arms expert said earlier this month that Iran could produce an atomic weapon in "one or two years".
Obama's administration has already made some rapprochement towards Tehran.
The US held its first direct contact with Iran Tuesday at a conference on Afghanistan where America and its old foe found common cause on rebuilding the war-torn state.
The Czech government, which holds the rotating EU presidency, will host Obama at an EU-US summit in Prague on Sunday.
There it will hope to persuade him of the shield's usefulness despite public opposition to the project.
"There are some threats, so we should work together to see how to guarantee the protection of all allies if the threats persist," Vondra said.
"Iran certainly, if you measure this by its nuclear programme as well as the ballistic missile programme, belongs to the most serious threats."