Czech Republic signs $630 million deal with Israel to purchase air defense system

The Czech Republic on Tuesday entered into an agreement with the Israeli government to purchase a new air defence system for its military, according to the country's Defence Ministry. The SPYDER system, developed by the Israeli state-owned company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, can defend against planes, helicopters, bombers, cruise missiles, and other weapons. The deal for four short-range air defence batteries is worth 13.7 billion Czech koruna ($630 million), with delivery expected in 2026, as per AP. 

Czech Republic's Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said the Israeli equipment would be crucial in the country's military's continuing modernization. To defend military and civilian areas such as industrial hubs, nuclear power plants, airports, and other critical infrastructure, it would replace an outmoded anti-aircraft Soviet-era 2K12 KUB system, he added as reported by AP. The purchase is part of a larger effort by the government to improve its military equipment and strengthen ties with Israel. The contract also includes Czech-made supplies worth more than 30% of the contract's total value.

In a statement, the Czech defence ministry said it had looked at nine different systems from seven different manufacturers. After comparison, Israel's SPYDER emerged as the most efficient. It is a solution tailored to Czech demands, compliant with NATO standards, and involving Czech industry, the statement said, as reported by The Times of Israel. 

Meanwhile, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz thanked his Czech's counterpart for the agreement. He termed it as a strategic agreement with a NATO-member country, which will not only create numerous job opportunities but also help in strengthening defence relations between both countries. "I am proud of Israel’s defence industries and their advanced technological developments which are requested by many of our partner countries. I would like to thank Sibat and RAFAEL for their work on this agreement," Gantz wrote on Twitter.  

'Ties between Czech Republic and Israel became closer in past year'

The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, ten years after the old Czechoslovakia overthrew its four-decade totalitarian communist rule. Israel and the European country have grown closer in the past one year, according to The Times of Israel. It should be mentioned here that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis re-routed an offshore corporation to purchase a luxurious chateau for $22 million, according to a recent investigative report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), also known as Pandora Papers, reported news agency Sputnik on Monday, October 4. 

Image: Twitter/ @ Lubomír Metnar