On Thursday, May 14, 2026, the Czech daily Aktuálně.cz was the first to report that the U.S. government, using funds from the FMF (Foreign Military Financing) assistance program, will deliver a total of 40 Flyer 72-HD (Heavy Duty) light tactical vehicles to the Czech Republic as compensation for its equipment assistance to Ukraine. The first six vehicles had reportedly already arrived in the country, while further vehicles are to be handed over at the end of May, as confirmed by Zdeňka Sobarňa Košvancová, spokesperson for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.
Photo: Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
The vehicles will enter service with the 43rd Airborne Regiment (43. výsadkový pluk), based at the Chrudim garrison in the Pardubice Region, where they will replace the obsolete Land Rover Defender 130 Kajman vehicles. It is worth adding that Polish AERO vehicles were offered to this formation last year.
Before the Flyer 72-HD vehicles enter service, however, they will first have to undergo adaptation work to meet user requirements, modifications, and testing. It is not known who will receive the contract for this work. The media do not rule out the Military Technical Institute (VTÚ, Vojenský technický ústav) in Prague, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, or STV Group, which, as the Czech partner, presented the Flyer 72 at last year’s IDET 2025 International Defence and Security Technologies Fair in Brno on May 28–30.
It is worth noting that in the past, the Czech Ministry of Defense considered purchasing 159 light tactical vehicles for CZK 5.6 billion, with the Flyer 72 being one of the options.
Flyer 72
Designed by U.S. corporation General Dynamics, the Flyer 72, known as “The Beast,” previously entered service with U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), where the F72-LD version was designated M1288 GMV 1.1, and with the U.S. Army as the M1297 A-GMV 1.1 (Army Ground Mobility Vehicle) for airborne units. It was also unsuccessfully offered by the Oshkosh Defense and Flyer Defense consortium in the U.S. Army’s ISV (Infantry Squad Vehicle) program, which was won by GM Defense, part of General Motors, with its LTV (Light Tactical Vehicle), designated M1301 in military service.
The compact dimensions of the Flyer 72, 4.92 m long, 1.83 m wide, and 1.82 m high, allow it to be transported internally by CH-47 Chinook, CH-53, C-130 Hercules, and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, as well as underslung from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
In 2023, Flyer 72 vehicles were delivered to the Israel Defense Forces under the name Beeri, and in 2024 to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The vehicle was tested by British special forces in 2014, and in 2024 it was ordered by Italy’s 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment “Col Moschin.” It has also been ordered in limited numbers by Greece and the United Arab Emirates.
Specifications:
- Maximum speed: 120 km/h; range: up to 805 km.
- Ability to negotiate 60% gradients and difficult terrain.
- Engine: 2.0-liter BiTurbo producing 195 hp and 400 Nm of torque, with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
- Weight: approx. 2,268 kg for the F72-LD and 3,175 kg for the F72-HD.
- Modular design enabling rapid adaptation to various missions, such as reconnaissance, command, evacuation, or assault missions.
- Specialized armed variants, including the Alakran 120-mm self-propelled mortar and light weapons such as M2 and M240 machine guns.
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