The US government has cleared a possible Czech Republic purchase of air-to-surface missiles for attack helicopters.
The $139 million package includes 200 Lockheed Martin AGM-114R Hellfires and 600 BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notification.
The potential package also includes spares, dummy rounds, technical support, training, and other elements.
“The proposed sale will improve the Czech Republic’s capability to strengthen its homeland defence and deter regional threats,” says the DSCA.
“This will contribute to its military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies. The Czech Republic will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.”
The DSCA did not state the platform on which the weapons could be deployed, but the Czech Republic operates four Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, as well as eight UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters.
The AH-1Z carries both Hellfire and APKWS, while the UH-1Y carries the APKWS.
