PRAGUE (AP) -- The Czech defense minister says his ministry will cancel a $200 million deal and return four CASA military transport aircraft if their maker does not fix technical problems.
Alexandr Vondra says EADS CASA, a Spanish unit of Europe's Airbus holding company EADS NV, has been given until May to fix a malfunctioning missile protection system on the 295M planes, as well other defects.
Vondra said Tuesday: "The problems have lasted too long."
Ministry officials say the malfunctions make it impossible to deploy the aircraft in Afghanistan as planned.
The ministry grounded its CASA fleet in October, for the second time this year, after an engine failure on one aircraft during landing in Prague.
The Czech military received the planes in 2010.
