AH-1Z Viper for Slovakia

On 21 March 2023, the Defence Minister of Slovakia, Jaroslav Nad, announced that his country will receive twelve Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters for use with the Vzdušné sily Ozbrojených síl Slovenskej republiky (Slovakian Air Force).

The attack helicopters are offered under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) construction by the US government with a great discount. The discount is reported as a compensation for the two-year delivery delay of the fourteen Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft (also known as the F-16V) that were ordered in 2018 with first deliveries in 2022.

Next to the new helicopters, the US proposal also includes the delivery of 500 AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, spare parts and pilot and ground crew training. According to Jaroslav Nad, the Slovakian government still has to approve the deal under which it would pay USD 340 million over three to four years for a package worth more than USD1 billion.

For the transfer of the MiG-29s to Ukraine, Slovakia will receive a financial compensation of 200 million Euros from the European Union. Scramble Magazine first reported on the donation of the MiG-29s in August 2022 and on 19 March 2023, when Slovakia confirmed the transfer.

Photo (just illustrative) by Manolito Jaarsma (Scramble Archive)