Czechs approve buying 4 EADS army transport planes

PRAGUE, April 20 (Reuters) - The Czech Republic has approved buying four transport planes from European aerospace group EADS (EAD.PA) in exchange for 3.5 billion crowns ($168 million) and five of the NATO member country's light fighter aircraft.

The Czech defence ministry said the cash would pay for three CASA-295M transport planes, which can carry 51 personnel or two light military vehicles. The government will swap five L-159 fighter jets from its fleet for the fourth transport plane.

Deliveries to the Czech Republic, now using ageing Soviet-made Antonov-26 planes, will be made from 2009-11.

The Czech army had ordered 72 of the locally-made L-159 planes but is not using all of them. The swap will be the first foreign delivery of the L-159 aircraft, which EADS will use for training purposes with the Spanish army. (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Dan Lalor)