The acquisition of 24 F-35A Lightning II aircraft in the most modern Block IV version was approved by the previous government of Petr Fiala (ODS) in September 2023, confirmed in January of the following year by signing a memorandum. The Czech Republic will pay a total of 150 billion crowns for them, which is the most expensive Czech army purchase.
F-35 aircraft will replace leased JAS-39 Gripen fighters in the Czech army. The first F-35s are to be ready in 2029, and Czech pilots will begin training on them in the United States. The first machines should arrive in the Czech Republic in 2031, and all will arrive by 2035. The Ministry of Defense estimates the total cost of acquiring and operating the F-35 until the end of their service life in 2069 at 322 billion crowns.
