Minister: Czech Republic should buy fighter planes after lease expires

The Czech Republic should buy Gripen fighter planes it is currently leasing after the lease contract expires in 2014, the Czech minister of defence, Vlasta Parkanová, said on a TV debate programme on Sunday. She said the matter ought to be resolved during the lifetime of the current government, but refused to speculate on a possible price for the aircraft. The Gripens, made by Saab and BAE, will be used in a foreign mission for the first time later this year when they guard airspace over the Baltic states. The Czech government had decided to buy 14 of the planes but later leased them due to a budget shortfall in the wake of flooding in 2002.

Author: Ian Willoughby