Representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the state enterprise LOM Praha held the first official meeting with Lockheed Martin in Prague regarding the potential for industrial cooperation in the acquisition of F-35 aircraft. The talks covered the training of pilots and ground personnel, as well as the provision of maintenance and repair services for the life cycle of the aircraft and training simulators. 

Picture: F-35 Lightning II supersonic combat aircraft | Lockheed Martin

LOM Praha is of key importance to the Ministry of Defence in strategic armament projects. "For LOM Praha, the project of the eventual acquisition and implementation of the F-35 aircraft into the armament of the Czech Army is another professional challenge in the implementation of our unique capabilities in the field of repair and maintenance of aviation equipment and training, as well as in research and development of simulation technologies. Together with the already announced H-1 helicopter platform, the F-35 project is a portfolio of the future for us and we are ready to adequately transform the capabilities of the state enterprise," says Jiří Protiva, Director of LOM Praha s.p.

For the rest of this week, the Lockheed Martin team has been interacting with Czech industry to identify suitable industrial cooperation projects. Since last year, Lockheed Martin has been continuously mapping the capabilities of the Czech defence industry. Building on the success of the Industrial Day on 24 October 2022 in Prague, these activities will continue intensively. Approximately 60 companies from the aerospace, aerospace and defence industries participated in the Industrial Day. The next industrial cooperation meeting with Lockheed Martin will take place in early 2023.

In line with its programme statement, the Government supports the modernisation of the Czech Armed Forces. The need to accelerate this process is reinforced by Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine. Based on the analysis conducted by the Czech Army and the recommendations contained therein, the Government decided in July 2022 to enter into negotiations with the US Government on the possibility of acquiring 24 fifth-generation aircraft. These represent a comprehensive defence system and can withstand security threats, both current and future, thanks to their ability to deceive adversary surveillance systems, their resistance to electronic warfare, or their high-precision radars that can detect targets at long distances. No later than 1 October 2023, the Secretary of State for Defence will inform the Government of the agreed parameters for the acquisition and operation of supersonic aircraft. On this basis, the government will then decide whether the Czech Republic will acquire them.