Political groups behind the “Stop F-35” initiative, which opposes the government’s plan to buy 36 new F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, handed in over 120,000 signatures to the Federal Chancellery on Tuesday, more than the 100,000 required.
After carrying out evaluations, the Swiss government said the F-35A offered the best quality-price ratio compared to its competitors – Boeing’s Super Hornet, Dassault’s Rafale, and Airbus’s Eurofighter Typhoon.
However, the “Stop F-35” campaigners claim that the US jet is an attack plane that is too expensive and unsuited to Switzerland’s modest air defence needs.
The opponents claim that the operating costs will be high, even if the purchase price is relatively low, and this has been proven in studies carried out in Canada, the US and Norway.
Price guarantee?
It is still unclear if and when the vote may take place. The coalition – the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and the Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSoA) – says a popular vote could take place before March 12, 2023.
The government initially planned to wait for the outcome of this initiative before closing the deal. However, with the outbreak of war in Ukraine and moves by other countries to re-arm, it reconsidered and signalled an intention to sign the contract before it expires in March 2023. This has been criticised by politicians on the left.
The government fears that the same price or delivery deadline offered by the US might not be guaranteed if the deal has to be renegotiated or pushed back, particularly as other countries, including Finland, Germany and Canada, are also queuing up to buy the jets.
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