Five-Year Contract Valued at up to €85 Million

CZ (Uherský Brod, Czech Republic) is to supply the Czech Army with small arms and ammunition over the next five years to a value of CZK2.35 billion (€85.3 million) under an agreement signed on 21 April by Deputy Minister for Armaments and Acquisition, Lubor Koudelka, and CZ’s CEO, Ladislav Britaňák.

“Our goal is to modernise the army, but also to support the Czech industry and maintain jobs in these difficult times,” explained Minister of Defense Lubomír Metnar. “The concluded framework agreement will enable the acquisition of up to 39,000 small arms made by a renowned manufacturer for our soldiers by 2025.”

If all options are exercised, the army will receive over 16,000 BREN 2 assault rifles: over 21,000 CZ P-10 pistols; over 1,600 CZ 805 G1 underslung grenade launchers; nearly 100 CZ SCORPION personal defence weapons; and training ammunition. The new agreement follows contracts from 2010-2016, when the army purchased almost 40,000 small arms from CZ.

“The Army of the Czech Republic demands only the best armament. This contract is an assurance for us that we are doing our job well and create high-quality and innovative products that hold up even in the most demanding military and law enforcement markets. At the same time, it is an important signal of the importance of investment in the domestic defence industry, especially in the difficult present time that demonstrates the need to ensure maximum security of deliveries from domestic sources,” commented Lubomír Kovařík, President of CZ’s parent company, CZ Group.

Britaňák added that the Czech Army “is historically one of the most important customers of CZ and also an important reference in world markets. Furthermore, this contract will support employment, which I consider to be key in the current situation for both the company and the Czech economy.”