Czech Television: Alenia was interested in Alca aircraft

Prague, Sept 24 (CTK) - The Italian company Alenia was interested in acquiring the Czech-made L-159 Alca combat aircraft, it wanted to swap them for its Spartans, but the Defence Ministry eventually preferred the Spanish CASAs, Czech Television (CT) public broadcaster said Monday.

Due to their better technological qualities, the Czech general staff preferred Spartans to CASAs, CT said.

The Defence Ministry concluded a deal with the Spanish consortium EADS on the purchase of CASAs without having put up a tender.

The former government of Mirek Topolanek (2006-2009) argued that EADS was the only company ready to accept the L-159s.

CT said it had a document at its disposal denying the argument.

On April 30, 2008, the letter with Alenia's offer was sent both to Topolanek and former defence minister Vlasta Parkanova, it added.

Alenia's representative has told CT he can confirm that the firm had made the offer, but no one from the Czech government or the Defence Ministry had reacted to it.

Parkanova and Topolanek have declined to comment on the affair.

Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek said since the Italian offer had not been binding, he did not take it seriously.

"You'd better check whether this is just gossip," Kalousek told CT.

The Defence Ministry eventually signed the contract worth 3.6 billion crowns for the delivery of CASAs.

Alenia criticised the deal.

Parkanova is being investigated over an alleged overpricing of the deal.

The Czech air force uses 24 L-159 Alcas, while another 36 of them are deposited in the sheds of their Aero Vodochody producer. Their depositing and mothballing cost the state 30 million crowns a year.