The drone was completely destroyed but there were no injuries or other damage to third parties, said the Federal Office of Defence Procurement (armasuisse) on Thursday. The army was informed of the crash by the Israeli manufacturer Elbit Systems.
“The drone was intended to form part of the ADS15 procurement package for the Swiss Armed Forces. The cost of the damage will be covered by Elbit Systems Ltd,” said armasuisse.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, and an investigation has been launched by the Israeli Ministry of Transport.
More delay
The Swiss army ordered six Hermes 900-type drones in 2015 at a cost of CHF250 million (around $256 million at the time).
The crash is only going to further delay the commissioning of the new reconnaissance drones originally scheduled for late 2019. The sensor system, which should enable the drone to detect aircraft and helicopters and thus avoid collisions, is not yet available, armasuisse explained in mid-July.
In addition, the certification of the ADS 15 surveillance system by the Israeli licensing authority is also taking longer than expected.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
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.
Read more
More
Army reports delay in receiving drones for border patrol
This content was published on
The Swiss border will be temporarily monitored by helicopters instead of drones starting at the end of 2019 due to a delivery delay.
Alternative to the Gripen: new drones from Israel?
This content was published on
The Swiss government is looking to renew its fleet of drones and deciding which models to acquire. The “Hermes 900” and “Heron 1” are the two under scrutiny, both produced by Israeli companies. Switzerland may buy six such drones for a total price of CHF250 million. Switzerland needs surveillance drones, not armed drones, to support…
This content was published on
On Monday, the Senate voted for the purchase of six unarmed Hermes 900 drones (30 votes for, 12 against), which followed earlier approval by the House of Representatives. Campaigners had criticised the deal with Israeli company Elbit Systems, urging Switzerland not to invest in Israel’s military complex due to its “systematic human rights abuses” against…
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.