Defense ministry OK's deal for planes sale to US

[EC]

The kicker is in the last line.

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Defense Ministry has signed a deal to deliver 14 military airplanes to the United States in an $11 million deal.

According to the deal signed Monday, Czech plane maker Aero Vodochody will take the subsonic L-159 military planes back from the Czech military and will resell them to Draken International Inc., a U.S. company that cooperates with the U.S. army.

Draken has an option on a further 14 other planes.

The light combat and training planes were made by Aero Vodochody between 1999 and 2003. The Czech army had been unsuccessfully trying to sell them since 2004 because it has no use for them.

The Czechs were also negotiating a possible sale of the same planes to Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/defense-ministry-oks-deal-planes-sale-us-083319127.html

[Oceander]

how come the US wants to buy them?  additional trainers?

[EC]

how come the US wants to buy them?  additional trainers?

You were the eldest (or tallest) child, I take it?

It's hand me downs. Cheaper than buying new.

[Oceander]

You were the eldest (or tallest) child, I take it?

It's hand me downs. Cheaper than buying new.

Yes I was!  And too tall to get hand-me-ups, either! 

[flowers]

Is this just a scam? Will obie just send these to Iraq? Why on earth would our military want to train in these?

[EC]

They are actually pretty sweet aircraft. Nothing fancy or flash, mind, but they have a surprising load out weight for their size, are a perfect observation platform, and $11 million for 14 planes is a total steal considering they cost about $13 million each, new.

According to wikipedia, Iraq is taking delivery of 12 of them in September as well. The biggest problem Iraq will have is training pilots on them. So I think you can expect Draken to be providing that training.

[Oceander]

They are actually pretty sweet aircraft. Nothing fancy or flash, mind, but they have a surprising load out weight for their size, are a perfect observation platform, and $11 million for 14 planes is a total steal considering they cost about $13 million each, new.

According to wikipedia, Iraq is taking delivery of 12 of them in September as well. The biggest problem Iraq will have is training pilots on them. So I think you can expect Draken to be providing that training.

Depending on how things go in Iraq, it might be ISIS/ISIL that ends up taking delivery of those 12. 

[rangerrebew]

They are actually pretty sweet aircraft. Nothing fancy or flash, mind, but they have a surprising load out weight for their size, are a perfect observation platform, and $11 million for 14 planes is a total steal considering they cost about $13 million each, new.

According to wikipedia, Iraq is taking delivery of 12 of them in September as well. The biggest problem Iraq will have is training pilots on them. So I think you can expect Draken to be providing that training.

Perfect for al Qaeda or the muslim brotherhood?

[EC]

Perfect for al Qaeda or the muslim brotherhood?

Those too. The aircraft are, like all based on Soviet tech, incredibly robust, easily repaired, and pretty basic to fly. You could learn how to arm one in an afternoon and how to fly one in a day if you have any previous experience at all.

Draken Is supposed using 4 of the eventual 28 planes as parts mines. I'd expect the Iraqi AF to use 2 of the 12 they are getting in the same way.