Switzerland signs contract for American long-range guided missiles
The Swiss government has signed a CHF300 million ($331 million) contract for the purchase of new long-range missiles for the Patriot ground-to-air defence system.
The purchase was announced by the Swiss army’s procurement agency armasuisse on Tuesday. The agreement had been approved by parliament in its 2023 communication on the armed forces. The PAC-3 MSE guided missiles from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin will be sent to Switzerland in 2028 and 2029.
For the Patriot missile system, which is scheduled to be delivered from 2026 onwards, the procurement of further PAC-2 GEM-T type ordnance, which was established last year, is already in progress.
The PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment Enhancement), armasuisse explains in a statement, is the newest Patriot missile type and is mainly used for defence against approaching short-range warheads. In contrast, the PAC-2 GEM-T (Guidance Enhanced Missile, Tactical) is primarily intended for defence against aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.
The new weapons, as well as the new F-35A fighter aircraft, are part of the Air2030 programme, which also includes the Radar and C2Air projects. The latter two concern the gradual replacement and renewal of the Swiss Air Force’s command and control system.
The contract was concluded with the US government because Switzerland purchases the guided missiles through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
This content was published on
A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
This content was published on
The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
This content was published on
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.