Switzerland to press on with Israeli drone procurement after some adjustments

The Swiss Army has decided not to cancel the procurement of Israeli drones, despite years of delays and a host of operational shortcomings. Keystone-SDA

The six Israeli ADS-15 reconnaissance drones ordered by the Swiss Armed Forces are years behind schedule and in trouble. The defence ministry has now decided to reconfigure the project and dispense with certain functionalities.

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So far, the drones have not been able to fulfill the requirements placed on them. After taking office, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister announced his intention to examine whether the procurement or parts of it should be dispensed with.

The defence ministry, the Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse) and the army have now decided on a compromise. The project will not be cancelled. However, the six drones will not include an automatic evasion system, a system for GPS-independent take-offs and landings, or a system for de-icing, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

These three functionalities had originally been promised by the Israeli manufacturer Elbit and by Ruag, the Swiss military tech company. However, according to the ministry, these functionalites cannot be achieved.

Further risks remain

According to the defence ministry, the decision means there will be certain use restrictions. For example, flights will not be possible when there is ice or ground fog. The drones would also have to be escorted by other aircraft in uncontrolled airspace during the day. Despite these restrictions on use, key capabilities such as reconnaissance with long dwell times in the air will be guaranteed.

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However, even in its reduced form, the project is not a done deal. There are still technical risks in the software and control system, said the defence ministry: “It cannot be ruled out that the supplier will not reach further milestones.” However, Elbit has promised to cover the fixed costs of the service contract for up to eight years as compensation for the loss of the three functionalities.

According to the ministry, it is foreseeable that a maximum of four of the six drones will not be able to provide the proof required for authorisation and will be subject to certain conditions in the long term. Elbit has held out the prospect of replacing one drone. This would provide the opportunity to have at least three drones that can be operated without any conditions.

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Translated from German with DeepL/gw

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