Summary and What You Need to Know: The Czech Republic has extended its lease of 14 Swedish-made Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighters until 2031, delaying the planned retirement of the aircraft originally set for 2027.

-These Gripens, upgraded to the MS20 standard, will remain in service until the Czech Air Force begins receiving 24 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II jets starting in 2031.

-The F-35s will eventually replace both the JAS 39s and older Aero L-159s. Though Sweden had pushed for Prague to choose new Gripens, the Czech government opted for the F-35, following the lead of other NATO members.

JAS 39 Gripen Lease Extended: Czech Air Force Prepares for F-35 Arrival

Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighters will remain in service with the Czech Air Force – as Prague extended its lease of its fleet of 14 combat aircraft. The Central European nation and NATO member currently operates two twin-seat and a dozen single-seat variants of the Saab JAS 39. The Czech Republic first took delivery of the aircraft in August 2005, and the fighters are stationed at áslav Air Base, east of Prague.

The Czech Air Force will continue to operate the Gripens – which have been upgraded to the MS20 standard – past the original end date in 2027, with the lease renewal extended to 2031 when Prague will begin to receive the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II.

The sale of the fifth-generation stealth fighters was approved by the U.S. State Department in June 2023, while it received approval from the Czech Parliament in August of the same year. A total of 24 F-35s will be acquired with deliveries to begin in 2031 and to continue through 2035.

The two dozen conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35s will replace both the Swedish-made JAS 39s and the Czech Republic's older Aero L-159 fighters, Aerospace Global News confirmed.

Get a Gripen

Saab has pushed hard for Prague to choose the Gripen over the F-35, and offered to allow the Czech Air Force to retain its existing fleet at no cost until newer models could be delivered; the Czech government followed the lead of other NATO members in adopting the F-35.

Despite that fact, Stockholm has expressed satisfaction with the current deal that will extend the lease for the advanced fourth-generation multirole fighters.

"The defence cooperation between Sweden and the Czech Republic will further increase to the benefit of both parties," Swedish Minister of Defence Pål Jonson said in a statement per Airforce-Technology.

Beyond extending the lease for the Gripen fighters, the Czech military will also begin training with Sweden – which officially joined NATO earlier this year – on the Swedish-made CV90 infantry fighting vehicle. Prague is in discussions with neighboring Slovakia to purchase the IFVs as part of an ongoing effort to replace Soviet-era armored vehicles, notably the Czech Army's BVP-1 and BVP-2 fighting vehicles that were developed at the latter stages of the Cold War. Prague has already donated many of those vehicles to Ukraine.

Though the Czech Republic will only operate the JAS 39 until the early 2030s, NATO member Hungary announced earlier this year it would buy an additional four Gripen C/D models – expanding its fleet from the 14 now in service. Saab and the Hungarian Ministry of Defense further signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the development of high-tech industrial areas and fighter aircraft capabilities, while the cooperation includes support for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for VR technologies near Budapest.

Hungary was the third country – behind Sweden and the Czech Republic – to operate the Gripen C/D planes, initially acquired under a lease agreement for 12 single-seaters (Gripen C) and a pair of two-seaters (Gripen D).

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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