Andrzej Jeziorski/Jiri Kominek/PRAGUE
THE CZECH DEFENCE ministry says that it cannot consider buying Western fighters until 2003, despite mounting parliamentary pressure to drop plans to upgrade its obsolescent Mikoyan MiG-21s.
The 14 September closing date for bids to upgrade some 24 Czech air force MiG-21MF Fishbed fighters coincided with parliamentary threats of defence-budget cuts.
In a joint statement delivered shortly before the deadline for the delivery of proposals, the parliamentary defence and economics committees protested against apparent ministerial defiance of parliament's recommendations.
The committees believe that the upgrade is a waste of money and that the air force should buy more modern aircraft instead.
The Czech air force is considering buying surplus Lockheed Martin F-16s and McDonnell Douglas F-18s. The current lack of available F-18 airframes could make any McDonnell Douglas bid problematical, however.
Deputy defence minister Miroslav Kalousek says that the purchase of Western aircraft is low on the ministry's list of priorities.
"After we buy the Aero Vodochody L-159s...we will consider modernising the MiG-21s. Not until the year 2003 can we even consider buying Western fighters. There simply is no money in the budget for such an acquisition," says Kalousek.
Parliamentarians say, that if the defence ministry continues to defy them, they will consider imposing cuts on the 1996 defence budget.
Despite opposition, defence minister Vilem Holan intends to forge ahead with three MiG-21 upgrade prototypes as a run-up to modernising at least 24 aircraft.
Deliveries of 72 L-159s are scheduled to begin in the last quarter of 1998, while the defence ministry plans to retire its MiG-21s from service by 2005. Sources close to the upgrade competition say that there is only a one-year window to commit to the full programme, after which it will no longer be worthwhile.
Bids for the upgrade have been received from three Czech prime contractors working with foreign partners. Aero Vodochody is teamed with Israel's Elbit; Letecke Opravarny Malesice (LOM), together with Letecke Opravarny Kbely (LOK) have combined with Israel Aircraft Industries; and Let Kunovice is teamed with France's Sextant Avionique.
In a further example of the confusion in Prague over its combat-aircraft acquisition policy, Holan has opened talks with his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Okonski, over a possible joint acquisition of Western fighters. The ministers met to discuss the issue in Warsaw on 16 September.
Source: Flight International
