U.S. Company Buying Military Planes From Czechs

PRAGUE (AP) -- The Czech Republic's government has approved a deal to deliver military airplanes to the United States.

Defense Minister Vlastimil Picek says Draken International, a U.S. company that cooperates with the U.S. army, will buy up to 28 subsonic L-159 military planes in a deal worth up to $25.8 million.

The light combat and training planes were made between 1999 and 2003. The Czech army had been unsuccessfully trying to sell them since 2004 because it has no use for them.

Picek said a deal with Draken should be signed in January or February and the first planes should be delivered before the year's end.

The Czech military says Draken has been already using Czech-made L-39 Albatros trainers.