Czech MoD Defers Israeli Radar Deal Over NATO Incompatibility?

The Czech Republic Ministry of Defence is understood to have defered a deal to buy Eight ELM-2084 multi-mission radar systems worth Euro 175 million over concerns that the radar would be incompatible with its NATO-compliant systems.

The Czech MoD is said to have issued instructions to its procurement agency to defer the deal out of concern that the Israeli radar systems cannot be connected to other systems used by NATO forces.

The Czech MoD defined the current format of the deal as "hazardous," Israeli newspaper Globes said without specifying the source of the information.

The ELM-2084 multi-mission radar is used by the Israel air force in Iron Dome, its active defense system against rocket fire. The Iron Dome can identify rocket fire, calculate the rocket's trajectory and provide a precise assessment of where it will fall.

Thanks to this unique capability, the Iron Dome system launches interceptors only if the rockets are expected to hit populated areas, Globes said.

Elta Systems has sold 100 of these radar systems to countries around the world worth some $2 billion. The Czech Republic had decided to buy eight ELM 2084 MMR radars for  2.9 billion koruna ($114 million) in 2016 for delivery by 2022 to replace obsolete Soviet-made radars.

The radar deal with the Czech Republic was concluded 18 months ago. In view of the crisis involving the deal, the Czech Ministry of Defense is expected to hold discussions to determine its fate over the coming month.