PRAGUE, Czech Republic, July 29 (UPI) -- The passive defense systems on four CASA C-295M transports of the Czech air force are "sufficient" for the aircraft's full operational use.
The declaration, issued by Czech Defense Minister Vlastimil Picek, was made following testing by Czech aviation experts and put to an end a dispute between Czech officials and Airbus Military, which had absorbed the Spanish manufacturer CASA in 2009.
"I am very glad I can inform all of you about termination of one long and complicated chapter of our air force," Picek said at a news conference. "[The] Czech military is from now equipped with four fully functioning transport aircraft capable of flying a full spectrum of tasks both at home and abroad" after repeated tests of the system proved it was "sufficient" to protect the aircraft from attack.
The C-295M is a turbo-prop military transport with a cruise speed of 300 miles per hour and a payload capacity of more than 20,000 pounds.
The Czech air force received four of the aircraft in 2010 but "not all the elements of the passive defense system have been working well since the delivery," the Czech Ministry of Defense said.
Details on the testing and remediation work were not disclosed.
