Czech Defence News of the Week (19th April – 26th April 2019)

Author: kpt. Mgr. Ladislav Kabát, army.cz|Caption: Czech Lizard 2019

CZ-USA, the U.S.-based affiliate of Česká zbrojovka, announced its plans to locate its North American Headquarters and build a new manufacturing facility in Arkansas – Czech soldiers who have returned from their foreign deployments were awarded with military medals – Czech Lizard 2019 VJTF certification exercise was succesfully concluded for the 71st Mechanized Battalion – The Army on the Eve of the Republic exhibition has been opened in Prague – Poland to purchase four AW101 maritime multirole helicopters.

• Česká zbrojovka Group and its U.S.-based affiliate, CZ-USA, largest Czech firearms manufacturer, announced their plans to move their North American Headquarters and build a new manufacturing facility at the Port of Little Rock in Arkansas. CZ-USA plans to implement a two-phase approach with an investment of up to USD 90 million and create 565 jobs over a six-year period. CZ products are considered some of the highest-quality firearms in defense, competition and sport shooting around the world.

See also: CZUB - Ceska Zbrojovka Uhersky Brod (founded 1936)

• On Friday 26th April the soldiers who took part in the Resolute Support mission (11th Guard Company BAF) in Afghanistan, members of the 18th Group of the EUNAVFOR mission’s operation ATLANTA in Great Britain, and of the 3rd Group of the MUNUSMA mission in Mali were awarded with Medals For Service Abroad, Medals For Injury, and Czech Army Combat Badges. The ceremony took place at the National Monument in Vítkov, Prague. The awars were handed over by the Chief of General Staff General Aleš Opata.

• On Friday 26th April the Czech Lizard 2019 exercise was succesfully concluded in the Military Region of Libavá in Moravia. It was a NATO VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force) certification exercise conducted according to the CREVAL (Combat Readiness Evaluation) to ensure and verify the effectiveness and interoperability of the battalion task force based on the 71st Mechanized Battalion of the 7th Mechanized („Heavy“) Brigade of the Czech Army.

See also: Czech Lizard 2019 – NATO VJTF certification exercise (71st Battalion)

• A new outdoor panel exhibition has been opened in front of the site of the General Staff of the Czech Army on Vítězné náměstí in Prague, conceived within a series of exhibitions by the Military History Institute Prague. The new exhibition is entitled The Army on the Eve of the Republic, and is dedicated to the birth of the Czechoslovak Army, its first years after the creation of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918.

• The Polish Ministry of National Defence and Italian aerospace company Leonardo announced on Friday an agreement worth about EUR 380 million to supply the AW101 maritime multirole helicopters. The long-awaited contract provides supply of four AW101s and a comprehensive integrated logistics and training package to the Polish Ministry of Defence. The Czech Army also seeks for new multirole helicopters, its attention is focused on an American solution with the UH-1 Venom by Bell Helicopters or the UH-60 Black Hawk by Lockheed Martin to replace its aging Mi-24/35 gunships. The European (Italian) solution is being ignored.

See also: Czech Army’s Modernization Projects: the multipurpose helicopters