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Ministry of Defence to begin negotiations with Israeli Government on the acquisition of three UAVs

Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

8.8.2022

Author: by Jiří Táborský, editorial staff, photo by SIBAT

The Ministry of Defence shall soon open negotiations with the Israeli Government regarding the acquisition of three HERON 1 UAVs with accessories, including ground control stations, data terminals, transport containers and additional materiel. The acquisition arises from the Czech Armed Forces Development Concept, which identified this equipment as key for aerial reconnaissance, as well as other tasks of direct combat support and protection of Czech Armed Forces' units.

"Similarly to other major acquisition projects, we opted for G2G, which is a direct government to government approach. This allows us to set up a long-term cooperation and provision of operation, repairs and spare parts throughout the service life of the acquired equipment," says Defence Minister Jana Černochová. She further pointed out the contracts between governments create conditions for the armed forces to share their operational experience with the acquired equipment, including the testing of technical and military parameters plus training and combat experience. This in turn lowers future costs of operation and maintenance.

In the past months, the Ministry of Defence was conducting preliminary market research to identify the UAVs that best meets to the Czech Armed Forces' needs. The research showed that HERON 1 UAV made by the state owned Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries is the best match. "Based on the evaluation of individual parameters provided to the project team of the Ministry of Defence by the UAV suppliers we approached, the chosen equipment corresponds best to the intended use by the Czech Armed Forces and meets the future requirements for full use, both in the Czech Republic for training, and for possible support of units deployed abroad," says Colonel Pavel Nakládal, who evaluated this domain on behalf of the Czech Armed Forces.

The next step is to begin the negotiation process with the aim to reach the lowest price possible and the shortest lead time. "We believe the contract will be concluded already by the end of this year," Minister Černochová says.