The Czech Republic's Defense Ministry has signed a deal to buy eight mobile MADR 3D radars from Israel for $125 million.
The radars, which are made by the Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary Elta Systems, will be operational by 2023.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The ELM-2084-type MADR radars are the detection systems for the Iron Dome batteries that Israel uses to intercept rockets fired by Palestinian terrorists.
The radars are compatible with NATO's defense systems and will be incorporated, inter alia, into the alliance's command and control systems.
"This agreement will deepen and strengthen the cooperation and relations with our Czech partners," said Brig. Gen. (ret.) Yair Kulas, head of the International Cooperation Directorate at the Defense Ministry.
He noted the deal was "an expression of confidence in the capabilities of the Israeli defense establishment and defense industries and highlights the significance of Israeli technology in the face of the threats shared by the international community. We hope to see this agreement opening the door for further cooperation with our Czech partners and with additional NATO states."
Czech Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said in a statement that the deal "is one of the key modernization projects on behalf of the Czech Armed Forces and specifically the Air Defense branch. I am very happy that by signing the agreement, we start the process of ending our dependence on obsolete Russian machinery and at the same time, acquire modern and battle-tested systems from a long-term strategic partner, which Israel indeed is. I am also pleased with the possibilities the agreement opens to the Czech defense companies."
IAI VP and CEO of ELTA Yoav Tourgeman issued a statement saying, "We are proud and honored to supply the best combat-proven multi-mission radar to the Czech armed forces. These radars will propel forward the Czech air force capabilities and enable it to confront the most advanced aerial threats. We believe that the MADR program will pave the path to additional cooperation between the Israeli and Czech defense industries."
