Czech Air Force AH-1Z Viper Makes First Flight
The United States Navy announced on Wednesday that the first AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter ordered by the Czech Republic has made its first flight.
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) released a video of the AH-1Z taking off at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center, with NAVAIR stating that the flight in question took place in April. NAVAIR is in charge of the procurement and life cycle of the AH-1Z for all of its operators.
The Czech Republic ordered four Vipers and eight UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters in 2019, with deliveries expected to start later this spring. On 3 May, the United States State Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that it had approved the Foreign Military Sale of an additional six AH-1Zs and two additional UH-1Ys. The refurbished ex-United States Marine Corps helicopters, which are being supplied for free, will bring the total size of their Czech fleets to ten of each type.
The AH-1Z shown is in the gray and green camouflage scheme unique to the Czech Air Force. The scheme had been revealed during a visit to the Amarillo Assembly Center in Texas by a Czech delegation including Czech Deputy Defense Minister Frantisek Sulc and Czech Air Force head Brig. Gen. Petr Cepelka in March, and was subsequently photographed by planespotters, but no official images of the full scheme had been released prior to Wednesday.
An initial batch of Czech pilots and maintainers for the helicopters graduated their initial training courses in February. They received identical training to United States Marine Corps helicopter pilots and maintainers from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 (HMLAT-303). The Czech pilots and maintainers will continue training once they and the helicopters arrive in the Czech Republic, including developing the ability to independently train future Czech pilots and maintainers of the helicopters. NAVAIR expects that the squadron will be capable of independent operations in late 2024.
The AH-1Z and UH-1Y combination will replace the Czech Air Force’s fleet of Mi-24 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, as well as its Mi-17 utility helicopters. The Czech Republic is believed to have donated at least two of its Mi-24s to Ukraine, as part of military aid supplied since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Neighboring Slovakia has also hinted at the possibility of acquiring AH-1Zs, with Slovakian defense minister Jaroslav Nad’ claiming that the United States had offered Bratislava Vipers as compensation for the delivery of its retired MiG-29 fleet to Ukraine.