Slovakia to Buy 17 3D Radar Devices worth €148 million from Israel

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) – Slovakia will purchase 17 3D radar devices of medium, short and ultra-short range from Israel, the Government decided on Wednesday, with Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO) confirming this.

When the purchase agreement is approved by the Finance Ministry, the Defence Ministry will conclude it by March 31, 2021. The radar equipment should cost a total of €148.2 million.

“It’s the most advantageous bid in terms of finances and it meets all the technical requirements and parameters set by the Armed Forces,” said Nad when commenting on the Israeli bid. He added that the radar devices are compatible with NATO systems.

The minister pointed to the fact that the final price is lower compared to the estimated value of the order of €155 million.

The procured radar devices will replace 24 radar devices, as the technical lifespan of the vast majority of them has ended in 2016. “We have serious problems,” admitted the minister. According to him, six radar devices have already been decommissioned, while the technical lives of 17 of them have ended and technical life of the last one is ending this year. There are problems with spare parts as well.

Director general of the Defence Ministry’s modernisation section Jozef Zekucia said that the radar devices should be supplied to Slovakia gradually with first ones being supplied in 2022. He noted that the Israeli bid was the only one not to exceed the set financial limit for the order.

If the agreement fails to be achieved by the end of March, the Defence Ministry will launch talks with the British Government and subsequently with the French Government.
The procurement of radar devices was launched already by the Defence Ministry’s previous management. However, the current defence minister decided to adjust the terms of the tender in order to increase its transparency.