The Air Force is part of the Czech Armed Forces. The texts about it describe changes in command, the purchase of American H-1 helicopters and an agreement on protecting Slovak airspace.
The Air Force of the Czech Armed Forces is part of the Czech army. It includes, for example, the 21st tactical air force base, the 22nd helicopter air force base in Náměšť nad Oslavou and the 24th transport air force base (Prague 19) [1][2].
Changes in command
Major General Petr Mikulenka took over as commander of the Air Force on 1 November 2020. Previously he served as the Czech Republic's military representative at SHAPE headquarters in Mons, Belgium. He began his career as a fighter pilot, later commanded the 21st tactical air force base and, among other things, headed the Joint Operations Centre of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. He served in the army for more than thirty-five years and then went into the reserve [2].
The handover was accompanied by a ceremonial parade held in Prague 19 at the 24th transport air force base. The ceremony included the handing over of the Air Force's battle flag and the signing of a protocol on the transfer of the post. From 1 November the new commander was Brigadier General Petr Čepelka, who until then had headed the force development section of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. In his first speech in the new post he named modernisation, retention of specialists, recruitment of personnel and teamwork as his priorities. He also spoke about the gradual replacement of obsolete equipment with new weapon systems and about the introduction of artificial intelligence, robotisation and other so-called breakthrough technologies [2].
H-1 helicopters
The helicopter base in Náměšť nad Oslavou received American machines of the H-1 system, namely the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter and the UH-1Y Venom multi-purpose helicopter. According to the army, the air force is to receive twenty helicopters of the two types, twelve of which will be new, and to replace the older Mi-35 and Mi-24V with them [1].
The intergovernmental agreement of 12 December 2019 on the purchase of eight Venoms and four Vipers was concluded by the then defence ministers of the two countries, Lubomír Metnar for the Czech Republic and Mark Esper for the United States. In April 2022 Minister Jana Černochová negotiated in Washington the delivery of eight more older helicopters (two Venoms and six Vipers), which the Czech Republic received from the USA free of charge. More than a third of the contract will go to Czech companies, among them the state enterprise LOM PRAHA and the firms VR Group and Ray Service, which will also provide equipment for simulated flights [1].
The army states that the two types have 85 percent of their parts in common and that their maintenance is considerably simpler than for the Russian Mi-24. Brigadier General Rudolf Straka, commander of the 22nd helicopter air force base, stressed that the Viper has modern self-protection systems: they give the pilot more information about a threat, recognise many more threats, rank them by degree of danger and respond automatically to them in the event of a direct threat [1].
According to Straka, delivery of a helicopter is always followed by two flights. The first takes place with representatives of the American government present, the second with a mixed Czech-American crew. American specialists assembled and commissioned the helicopters together with their Czech colleagues, and the training of soldiers from Náměšť is led by an American mobile training team [1].
Priorities and modernisation plans
Minister Jana Černochová stated at the takeover of the helicopters that the transition to the new machines reduces dependence on Russian equipment and means a turn towards the strongest ally in NATO [1]. The Chief of the General Staff, Karel Řehka, said that in view of Russia's war in Ukraine the army must stress combat capability and readiness even more, and that in his view the new equipment can attract further people interested in service to the army [1].
At the handover of command Řehka said that the army must adapt to the serious situation and that combat capability remains the key priority. Older equipment is to be replaced by more modern equipment, and strategic documents and plans are to be reassessed. According to František Šulc, First Deputy Minister of Defence, the future battlefield will become a complex system full of sensors and data centres, so air force soldiers will have to undergo a transformation reminiscent of the shift from lathe operators to programmers of CNC machines. The replacement of missile systems and of the entire air force is beginning, and new Viper and Venom helicopters are expected next year. The Czech Republic has also begun negotiations with the USA on a possible purchase of supersonic multi-purpose F-35 aircraft [2].
Cooperation in protecting airspace
Under an agreement, the Czech army is to help Slovakia protect its airspace. The agreement was concluded by the Czech defence minister Jana Černochová with Jaroslav Naď, the defence minister of Slovakia. Poland is also to take part, and Mariusz Błaszczak, the Polish defence minister, therefore added his signature to the agreement. The two countries are also to cooperate in the procurement of CV90 armoured vehicles [3].