The initial training of the future Czech F-35 pilots will take place at the Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas. The objective is to train a sufficient number of instructors and pilots who will be in charge of forming the squadrons and will kick-start the training system, as was mentioned during the visit of General James B. Hecker, the Commander of the Allied Air Command, in the Czech Republic.
General Hecker’s program included a tour of the 21st Tactical Air Force Base in Čáslav which will be the home station to the fleet of 24 American aircraft F-35A Lightning II from 2031. The acquisition of the aircraft was endorsed by the Government in September 2023 and the contract was signed on 23 January 2024.
The Ebbing ANGB at Fort Smith has been a National Guard airbase in Arkansas since 1953. Last year, it was selected as a centre for the F-16 and F-35 international military pilot training.
“The training will initially take place at Ebbing. The purpose is to train enough instructors and pilots who will lead the F-35 squadrons and set the whole system underway. Afterwards, the training will be fully moved to the Czech Republic. The personnel we are going to assign to the United States are extremely important for us and we are already progressively engaging them in the project. Just as other countries, we lean on experienced pilots with excellent English skills and high interest in F-35 who demonstrate not only the ability to teach and pass on their experience but also leadership potential,” specified Major Aleš Svoboda, a fighter pilot at the Czech Air Force Command.
According to the Czech Air Force Commander Major General Petr Čepelka, many candidates have experience from the United States and they are therefore considered to be the key to the successful embedding and operation of the 5th generation aircraft. “They will shoulder the forming and development of squadrons at Čáslav and the training of more than 20 new pilots,” MG Čepelka commented.
The recruitment of new pilots was launched under the aegis of the University of Defence in Brno. Until the end of March, it was possible to apply for the study programme Military Air Traffic. In comparison with the current five-year master’s programme, this new programme is completed only with a bachelor’s degree and is shorter by 18 months.
Integrated Air Defence and the Czech Republic
General Hecker and the Czech commanders also discussed the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence which plays a significant role in peacetime, crisis and in conflict. The NATINAMDS protects and secures NATO territory, population, and forces against any air or missile threat or attack. It covers all the air and missile threats, including those of the growing and developing variety of capabilities of Russia and other potential adversaries, as well as increasingly diverse and serious air and missile threats from other state or non-state actors ranging from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to sophisticated capabilities such as hypersonic missiles.
The NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence of the Alliance provides deterrence and defence of the Alliance’s territory. It contributes to the security of the Alliance also by its ability to be strengthened if necessary and it also involves the airpower. In connection to this, General Hecker was informed about the future of the ground based air defence of the Czech Armed Forces including the future assignment of the SPYDER system, whose fielding will enable the Czech Armed Forces to contribute a significant short, medium, as well as long range capability to the NATO posture.