Swiss complete upgrade of Air Force radar detectors

Air Force radar detectors all modernised Keystone-SDA

The radar detectors in the Swiss Air Force’s surveillance system have all been modernised. On Monday, the Swiss government announced the completion of the conversion of the fourth system Florako.

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Switzerland has been operating four Florako radar stations around the clock since 2005. The Florako system is used to detect military and civilian flying objects and to conduct air force operations.

The Federal Office of Armaments (armasuisse) has now handed over the fourth and final system to the Swiss Armed Forces for operational use. To ensure uninterrupted daily operations, the transformation of the radar stations was carried out in stages and in a coordinated manner for each site, armasuisse noted in a press release.

The intervention in the system was complex and required detailed overall planning. The conversion work had to be carried out under sometimes difficult conditions at altitudes of up to 3,000 metres, armasuisse points out. The project is scheduled for completion in November 2026, once all the warranty periods have expired.

Project postponed

Initially, the army planned to replace Florako by integrating a French system, Skyview. Last October, this project, which parliament had earmarked for almost CHF320 million, had been temporarily shelved. Problems with integration into the army’s new digital platform are one of the reasons for this.

The entry into service of the Skyview project, announced for 2027, should be postponed until 2030. Florako could continue to be used until 2029, the army said. An internal report published shortly afterwards in the German-language weekly NZZamSonntag highlighted the risks associated with this extension, due to a lack of personnel trained in the maintenance of the old system.

Air2030 programme

The two projects for the gradual replacement and modernisation of Florako components are part of the Air2030 programme, along with the new American F-35 fighter aircraft and the Patriot ground-air defence system. They were dealt with before the new programmes, and were the subject of a request to parliament within the framework of separate armament programmes.

Translated from French by DeepL/jdp

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