Prague, July 26 (CTK) – The Czech Defence Ministry will buy bulletproof vests for the soldiers serving in Afghanistan through the Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) as the lifespan of the current ones will expire in less than a year, Defence Ministry spokesman Petr Medek told CTK on Tuesday.
It is presumed that it will pay 17.5 million crowns for 500 sets of ballistic vests, Medek said.
The government will receive the information on the contract on Wednesday.
“The contract covers the delivery of 500 sets of SPCS Magnum TAC-1 ballistic vests, including ballistic panels for members of the Czech military now serving in the Resolute Support operation in Afghanistan,” Medek said.
The U.S. soldiers use the same vests in Afghanistan.
In the past, the Defence Ministry put up a tender for the purchase of 2291 bulletproof vests. It was won by the Ceska zbrojovka arms maker, which promised to deliver them for 68 million crowns last year.
However, the military has not received them, for which both sides in the dispute blame one another.
Due to the delay, there is the threat that foreign mission soldiers will not have ballistic protection.
As the Defence Ministry wants to hastily acquire new vests, it wants to buy the selected goods directly, Medek said.
It is also preparing a tender for the delivery of 5500 ballistic vests for about 272 million crowns, to be delivered by November 30, 2020, Medek said.
