It is already two and a half years since Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced that the Czech Republic would receive eight new Venom multi-role helicopters and four Viper combat helicopters from the USA as well as eight older helicopters of the same type. from the USA, the Czech Republic would also receive eight older helicopters of the same type. The two Venom and six Viper rotorcraft from the US Marine Corps (-> current news about the US armed forces) are still a long time coming – and are now, according to a report from Aktuálně.cz will not arrive in the Czech Republic until late 2027 or early 2028.
Defense Minister Černochová explained at the time that the additional aircraft were a gift for helicopters given to Ukraine by the Czech Republic. “It is a donation, we only pay the price for overhaul, any repairs and modifications according to our requirements, as well as for transportation to the Czech Republic and other related costs. These cannot be quantified exactly at the moment, but compared to the price of new helicopters, these are negligible amounts.”
The original plan was for the Czech Air Force to receive the aircraft by the end of 2023. Later forecasts then envisaged delivery in the years 2025 to 2026. However, these dates are now also obsolete.
“We now expect the helicopters by the end of 2027 or early 2028 at the earliest,” explained Lubor Koudelka, head of the armaments section at the Czech Ministry of Defense, according to the report.
