Ukraine could have received L-159 light combat aircraft from the Czech Republic to combat Russian drones, including jet-powered "Shaheds." However, the transfer never took place due to the position of the Czech Army and a change of government in the country, Defense Express reports, citing Defence24, writes UNN.
Details
In 2025, the Czech Republic considered transferring an undisclosed number of L-159s to Ukraine, financing this through the European SAFE program. The idea emerged after it became clear that only some of the 24 aircraft of this type in the Czech Republic were in operational condition.
The first obstacle was the position of the Czech Army, which was unable to clearly confirm its readiness to give up some of the L-159s in favor of Ukraine. The situation changed definitively after parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic and the arrival in power of Andrej Babiš's government, which rejected the transfer of the aircraft at the beginning of 2026.
Newer L-39NG Skyfox aircraft could serve as a replacement
In January, the Czech Republic proposed another option—supplying Ukraine with new L-39NG Skyfox trainer-combat aircraft, which can also be used to intercept Russian drones, including jet-powered ones.
At the time, it was reported that, provided an order was placed at the beginning of 2026, the first aircraft could reach Ukraine as early as the beginning of 2027.
However, as of October 2026, there is no public information about such an order being finalized. Therefore, it is not yet known whether Ukraine will receive the L-39NG Skyfox as an alternative to the Czech L-159s.