Half the Swiss army’s M113 armoured vehicles rehabilitated
Half the Swiss army's M113s repaired
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Half the Swiss army’s M113 armoured vehicles rehabilitated
Half of the Swiss army's 248 M113 grenadier armoured vehicles are back on the road after being temporarily decommisioned. The entire fleet should be repaired by the end of the year.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Français
fr
La moitié des M113 de l’armée suisse réparés
Original
At the end of 2023, the army suspended the use of these tanks due to a technical defect. “We had to issue a ban after a driveshaft broke and buy new spare parts from the original manufacturer,” says Rolf Siegenthaler in an interview published by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Monday. Delivery times have become longer, as such vehicles are also used abroad, he added.
In the event of war, these tanks, which have been in service in the army for over 50 years, would not be lined up in the front line, notes the officer. These “oldtimers” would be deployed as auxiliary vehicles, he continued, pointing out that, while the technical simplicity of these old vehicles is an advantage, their maintenance is expensive.
“When people say that the army’s capacity is diminishing because of the failure of the M113s, I have to retort that even with these tanks, we no longer have that capacity,” notes Siegenthaler. He ranks the army’s logistics at level 3 on a scale from 1 to 10.
The replacement of the M113s is planned in various armament programs, wrote the defence ministry in December 2023. More than 800 of these vehicles had already been scrapped by that date.
Adapted from French by DeepL/ac
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Five years after Covid lockdown, former Swiss health advisor looks back on crisis
This content was published on
Daniel Koch, former head of communicable diseases at the Federal Office of Public Health, recalls the key role played by the Swiss government during the Covid-19 crisis.
Credit Suisse turned down takeover bids one year before collapse
This content was published on
The management of Credit Suisse turned down takeover bids just over a year before the bank collapsed, says American investment banker Bob Diamond.
Geneva human rights film fest rewards 12 ‘impactful’ productions
This content was published on
The Geneva Grand Prix of the 2025 International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) has been awarded to the Egyptian documentary, Les Filles du Nil.
Top Swiss commerce official to meet with Trump administration
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Helene Budliger Artieda, will travel to Washington next week.
Former US general advises Switzerland to prepare for war
This content was published on
According to former United States general Ben Hodges, the withdrawal of US troops from Europe is only a matter of time. In an interview with SonntagsBlick, he advises Switzerland to prepare for war.
This content was published on
The author of the bestseller Swiss Watching and former member of SWI swissinfo.ch's Public Council, Diccon Bewes, died on March 11 after a battle with cancer.
Anti-separatists in Bernese Jura mark 50th anniversary of crucial vote
This content was published on
Anti-separatist circles celebrated in Tramelan (BE) on Saturday the 50th anniversary of the vote of 16 March 1975 in which the population of the Bernese Jura chose to remain part of the Bernese Confederation. The theme of the jubilee was the identity of the Bernese Jura after Moutier's departure.
Nearly one in two bicycles sold in Switzerland is an e-bike
This content was published on
In 2024, almost every second bicycle sold in Switzerland was an e-bike. Overall, around 14% fewer bikes were sold than in the previous year.
Over 200 Swiss firms sign up to CO2 reduction targets
This content was published on
To date, 237 companies from Switzerland have joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), committing to CO2 reduction targets in line with the Paris Accord.
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.