Slovakia wants to discuss buying a Patriot air defense system from the United States as part of its long-term plans to defend its airspace, Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said.
During a debate on state-run RTVS television broadcast late Sunday, Kalinak said Slovakia would consider using a discount offered by the United States last year for the purchase of helicopters, but use it instead to incorporate Patriot systems. The discount was offered after Bratislava donated its decommissioned MiG-29 fighter jets (which will be replaced by F-16 Block 70s) and an S-300 air defense system to Ukraine.
According to the terms agreed at the time, the U.S. had offered the Slovak government the sale of 12 AH-1Z Viper combat helicopters, 500 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, as well as training and logistical support, within a deal valued at around USD 1 billion, of which Slovakia will only have to pay USD 340 million.
“We have opened the discussion on whether it would be possible to use this discount also for the Patriot (system),” Kalinak said during the interview.
Minister Kalinak believes that the addition of AH-1Z Viper helicopters would have strengthened the country’s offensive capabilities, but that at the current juncture (Russian-Ukrainian war), the Defense Ministry should prioritize air defense.
See also: 14 NATO members and Finland agreed to strengthen European air defense
Slovakia’s airspace is currently defended by fighters and anti-aircraft missile systems of its NATO partners, but Bratislava wants to stop depending exclusively on third countries for this vital mission. To this end, in addition to considering the acquisition of a Patriot missile system, it has joined the German project European Sky Shield Initiative [ESSI], which seeks to develop a common European air defense system within the NATO framework.
