Czech Air Force - 15 years of pushing Gripen to new heights
The Czech Air Force has been a Gripen user for 15 years. When Gripen entered service with the Czech Air Force in 2005, it replaced old Russian technology. Within just a couple of years, the Czech Air Force did not just start to use a new type of aircraft; they started using a completely new system as well as adapting to a new way of working. This only hints at how remarkable the capability enhancement within the Air Force was, and how it has continued to progress ever since.
During 15 years of protecting the skies with Gripen, the Czech Air Force has used their fleet efficiently and are closing in to 30,000 flight hours. This is of course due to the high availability of Gripen but the ones who are making this happen are the people in the Czech Air Force who make sure Gripen are in the air when they need to be.
- The Czech Air Force now has aircraft of a totally different standard to those we started flying with back in 2005. Thanks to gradual updates to the aircraft’s systems, which are part of the leasing agreement with the Swedish government, the capabilities of the Gripen are being constantly enhanced, Lieutenant Colonel Jaroslav Tomaňa, Commander of 211th Tactical Squadron explained.
Even though Gripen still looks the same from the outside, a lot has happened these last 15 years to ensure Gripen’s and the Czech Air Force’s superiority over existing and future threats. That is why the Czech Air Force has continuously upgraded their aircraft to meet their needs. With rolling capability upgrades, the Czech Air Force with Gripen will stay in the vanguard, both protecting their own airspace and fulfilling their allied commitments for a long time to come.