The Czech Republic signed a deal to purchase a new air defense system for its military from the Israeli government, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The defense ministry said the contract to procure four short-range air defense batteries is worth 13.7 billion Czech koruna (USD 630 million), whose delivery will be completed by 2026.
Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said that the Israeli system would be significant in the ongoing modernization of the Czech armed forces.
The SPYDER system, which is developed by the Israeli state-run company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., is capable of providing protection against aircraft, helicopters, bombers, cruise missiles, and other weapons.
It would replace an obsolete anti-aircraft Soviet-era 2K12 KUB system to defend military and civilian centers such as industrial hubs, nuclear power plants, airports, and other important facilities.
