The Israeli Company Elta wins the Czech Defense Ministry tender

The Czech Army once again chose to utilize the products of the Israeli defense industry to protect the citizens of the Czech Republic. The Defense Ministry of the Czech Republic selected a mobile air defense radar produced by the Elta Company / the Israeli Aviation Industry. The product was selected in a tender to which 1144 companies, including many reputable international companies, applied. The tender is to the sum of 122 million dollars and will be signed in the year 2017. The radar systems will arrive in the Czech Republic and be installed over the next five years.

Radar systems such as these provide protection from aerial assaults taking place at heights between 100 and 3000 meters. These systems will enable the Air Force of the Czech Republic to identify targets in flight, to track them, and to intercept them. These systems are capable of tracking a number of threats simultaneously (over 1000 targets); cover a wider area (about 250 kilometers) and are resistant to electronic countermeasures and threats. Such radar systems are already in use by a number of other militaries including the IDF (as part of the Iron Dome defensive system) and the Canadian army.

The Defense Minister of the Czech Republic, General Martin Stropnický, has praised the purchased systems and described them as the most advanced radar systems in the world. The Czech chief of staff, General Josef Bečvář, has praised the radar systems and stated that they would greatly improve the capabilities of the local air force. Purchasing the radar systems from Israel is a stage in updating the Czech Republic’s military equipment. The current radar system will replace the SA – 6 radar systems. These systems were provided to the Czech Republic back in 1991 and are considered to be obsolescent in terms of range and protected altitudes.

Made in Israel

The production of the radar systems will be shared between Israel and the Czech Republic on the following basis: 70% of the production will be performed in Israel, and 30% of it in the Czech Republic by the local military electronics company RETIA, who has been a partner of Elta / the Israeli Aviation Industry for a number of years now.

The purchase of these radars once again demonstrates the excellent relations between the two nations and the importance of their business relations. In the case of Elta / IAI this was probably one of the factors that led to its selection over their opponents. 

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