The United States announced on Friday August 19 that it would donate eight combat and multirole helicopters to the Czech Republic, a member of NATO.
The Czech Republic has been a major supplier of military equipment to Ukraine since the February 24 Russian invasion.
Replace obsolete Russian models
The six AH-1Z combat helicopters and two UH-1Y multirole helicopters will be offered under the Excess Defense Articles program, the US Embassy in Prague said.
"
The Czech Republic will only pay for the upgrade and transportation of the equipment
," the US Embassy clarified on Twitter.
In 2019, Prague announced the purchase of eight UH-1Y and four AH-1Z helicopters made by Texas-based Bell Corporation to replace obsolete Russian-made Mi-35/24s.
The 20 helicopters are expected to arrive next year.
Russian helicopters are the legacy of four decades of communist rule - until 1989 - in the former Czechoslovakia.
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The Czech Republic broke away from Slovakia in 1993 and joined NATO in 1999. Since then, it has been modernizing its obsolete Soviet-era military equipment to bring it up to NATO standards.