Czech Republic to Start Receiving American Venom, Viper Helicopters from 2023

The Czech Air Force will acquire ten UH-1Y Venom multirole helicopters besides ten AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters from 2023 onwards to replace, obsolete Mi-35/24V helos.
In addition to the helicopters, the Czech Armed Forces will receive relevant armament such as Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, a Czech MoD release said.
"We succeeded to negotiate (with the U.S.) not only the acquisition of eight new Venom multirole helicopters and four Viper attack helicopters but also the donation of six additional Viper attack helicopters and two Venom multirole machines,” Defence Minister Jana Černochová said during her visit to the Prague-Kbely Air Force Base on August 23.
Regarding the donated Viper helicopters, the Minister said, "we will only pay for maintenance, reconfiguration to our requirements, transport to the Czech Republic, and for other associated costs."
In the past months, the Minister has underscored that the war in Ukraine clearly showed that air support is indispensable in conventional conflicts.

The Czech Air Force is currently equipped with eight Mi-35/24V attack helicopters that have in service with the Czech Armed Forces since 2003. The hardware was used by the Soviets as early as during the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
"The progressively decommissioned Mi-24 helicopters can, if needed, be used as a source of spare parts for Mi-171Sh helicopters, or they can be alternatively put up for sale,” said the Director of the MoD Force Development Division BG Petr Čepelka.
Since July, two groups of pilots and technicians have been retraining in the USA for the new types of helicopters. Bell’s mobile training team will be training local staff in the Czech Republic over the course of two years, before they master the helicopters’ operation and maintenance system.
The Czech defence industry’s participation will amount to one third of the project’s value, and will include state enterprises LOM Praha and VTÚ (Military Technical Institute), as well as Ray Service and VR Group. LOM Praha will provide the life cycle support of the helicopters which will take place in a new H1 facility. A new simulation centre will be built in Náměšť nad Oslavou for the training of ground and flight personnel for the new machines.
The intergovernmental agreement on the purchase of 8 UH-Y Venom multirole helicopters and four AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters was signed by the then Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Lubomír Metnar and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.