WARSAW — Five companies have submitted offers to supply mid-range air defense systems to the Czech Ministry of Defense. These include Lockheed Martin, MBDA, Kongsberg, Rafael and Diehl, according to Vladimir Lukovsky, a spokesperson for the Czech ministry.
"The aim of this consultation is to obtain information on the existing modern mid-range air defense systems, technological trends and the systems that are operated in other countries," Lukovsky told local news site Euro.cz. "The offer should cover the delivery of complete air defense systems, missiles, logistics support, and also technical suport in the entire product life cycle."
The Czech ministry is currently evaluating the offers submitted by the five defense companies.
Under the plan, the new missiles are to replace the Czech Republic's Soviet-built 2K 12M KUB M systems. The outdated missiles are to be decommissioned in 2020, and the Czech ministry aims to acquire new air defense systems by then.
In the first phase of the procurement, Prague is planning to purchase less than 10 new batteries. The procurement is estimated to be worth at least 6 billion krona (US $246 million).
The 2K 12M KUB is a mobile surface-to-air system. In addition to the Czech Republic, it is used by a number of Eastern European allies, such as Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
The new missile systems are to be reportedly placed on a wheeled vehicle supplied by Czech manufacturer Tatra Trucks.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
