Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited the company Excalibur Army; he wrote a short message on one of the tanks that will be sent to Ukraine

On Monday, 9 January, Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited the company Excalibur Army in Šternberk in the Olomouc region. The military equipment manufacturer is involved in an international project to modernise T-72 tanks for Ukraine. The Prime Minister held talks with the company's management and toured the production plant. The Prime Minister also met with the mayors of Šternberk and Uničov, with whom he discussed development projects, high energy prices, and cooperation with employers in the region.

Russia's aggression in Ukraine has significantly worsened the security situation in the world. The Czech Republic and our defence industry were able to react quickly to the change in circumstances, increase production capacity and engage in security cooperation between NATO countries and Ukraine. Thanks to the immediate involvement of private companies, the Czech Republic was one of the first countries to deliver military aid.

"And it is military aid on a commercial basis that today makes the vast majority of supplies to Ukraine. Thus, I decided to visit Czech companies, which are active in this field, as first this company Excalibur Army, which is involved in international project of modernising T-72 tanks for Ukraine. The rapid response and the increase in production and commercial capacities of Czech companies have clearly demonstrated that an agile defence industry is a key element for national security. Involvement of industry benefits the Czech economy, as production continues to increase and skilled jobs are created,“ added the Prime Minister.

Excalibur Army together with Tatra Defence Vehicles is a key producer of military equipment in the Czech Republic. Last year the company supplied the Ukrainian army with 150 heavy arm vehicles. The company services and modernises ground equipment of eastern origin (tanks T-55, T-72, infantry combat vehicles BVP-1 and BVP-2). It also modernises older proven types of weapons of Czechoslovak origin: self-propelled howitzers DANA on Tatra chassis and the RM-70 multiple rocket launchers.

Perhaps the most significant contract, on which Excalibur Army is working in this field, is modernisation of T-72 tanks for Ukraine, which is jointly financed by USA and Netherlands. The Prime Minister also wrote a short message on one of the tanks that will be sent to Ukraine: TO THE BRAVE DEFENDERS OF UKRAINE.

"This Czech-American-Dutch activity, coordinated by the Czech Ministry of Defence, is an exemplary example of international defence cooperation and is, of course, fully consulted with the Ukrainian side. This cooperation has concrete benefits for all involved - NATO strengthens the brave defenders of Ukraine, on whose success global security depends, and the Czech Republic strengthens the capabilities of the defence industry on our territory,“ added the Prime Minister, who also christened a new recovery vehicle during the visit TREVA 30. This could also help in Ukraine in the future.