DTN News - IRAQ DEFENSE NEWS: Iraq To Buy 28 Czech L-159 Training Jets For $1 Billion ~ Media Reports

DTN News - IRAQ DEFENSE NEWS: Iraq To Buy 28 Czech L-159 Training Jets For $1 Billion ~ Media Reports

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 12, 2012: The Iraqi government intends to buy Czech-made Aero Vodochody L-159 advanced trainer/light-attack jets, Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Thursday in Prague after talks with his Czech counterpart Petr Necas, local TV reported. 

Iraq will buy 28 Czech-made L-159 training jets valued at $1 billion dollars (770 billions euros), a Czech defence ministry spokesman told AFP Friday in Prague. The deal includes 24 new plane and four older army surplus aircraft.

"Further talks about purchasing the L-159 will take place on Friday between the Iraqi and Czech defense ministries," he said. Talks about an L-159 purchase between Baghdad and Prague have been underway for at least three years, acording to Defense Industry Daily.

The Czech government hopes to sell Iraq up to 24 of the jets, which Defense Industry Daily says are used aircraft which were operated for a short time by the Czech Air Force. Iraq used to operate the jet's predecessor, the L-39 Albatros.

The L-159 can be armed with Sidewinder missiles, targeting pods and laser-guided air-to-surface weapons, and can operate from austere airstrips, the daily says.

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

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

(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.

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