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Christian Oppliger named new head of the Swiss Air Force

Christian Oppliger becomes the new commander of the Swiss Air Force
Christian Oppliger becomes the new commander of the Swiss Air Force Keystone-SDA

Divisional Commander Christian Oppliger has been named the new head of the Swiss Air Force, starting October 1. He takes over from Peter Merz, who has stepped down and will become the CEO of Skyguide in early November.

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Oppliger, 52, joined the professional flying corps as a military pilot in 1993, the Swiss government announced on Wednesday. As a squadron pilot and instructor, he also participated in various project groups.

In the summer of 2021, Oppliger became the head of operations for the introduction of the US F-35 fighter jet, which Switzerland had purchased. By January 2024, he was appointed deputy commander of the Air Force.

Translated from German with DeepL/sp

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