The Czech Republic Receives The Last Two UH-1Y Venom Utility Helicopters
On June 13, the Czech Ministry of Defense announced that the last two UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters had been received from the American company Bell Textron.
This latest shipment marks a significant milestone in the Czech Republic Air Force’s (Vzdušné síly) disposal of obsolete Soviet equipment and modernization of operational capability, and it completes the $645 million intergovernmental agreement signed by the Prague government with US authorities in 2019 to purchase eight UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters and four AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters.
The last two helicopters, serial numbers 0496 and 0497, arrived at Pardubice Airport disassembled aboard a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft under the authority of Air Mobility Command (AMC), as was the case with the delivery of the previous aircraft. Following that, the aircraft were transported to the LOM PRAHA s.p. Flight Training Center in Pardubice for reassembly. After the process, which is expected to take several days, the Venoms will be ready for use again and will replace the Mi-35/24V in service with the 221st and 222nd Helicopter Squadrons based at the 22nd Helicopter Air Force Base in Náměšť nad Oslavou.
Commander of the Czech Air Force, Major General Petr Čepelka, said that the H-1 helicopters are a significant step forward and are several generations ahead of the current Mi-24s. Čepelka stated that the arrival of H-1 helicopters changed their training methods and processes, making the training of personnel in line with NATO techniques and standards, thus making them stronger players in Europe.
In addition to this contract, the US government will provide the Czech Air Force with six AH-1Z and two UH-1Y helicopters free of charge through the “Excess Defense Articles” program in exchange for eight Mi-24s transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the government in Prague. The delivery of eight second-hand helicopters, which is scheduled to begin next year, will help the Czech Republic’s efforts to bring its air forces up to NATO standards, while also opening the door to new helicopter support for Ukraine in the coming days.