Swiss Reduce F-35 Order to 30, Mull European Air Defense System
(Bloomberg) — Switzerland plans to buy only about 30 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter jets from the US and considers purchasing a European-built air defense system to make up for delays of an existing procurement.
The decision, announced by the government on Friday, comes after a spat with the US on the price for the planes and an American decision to delay delivery of Patriot air defense systems to Switzerland.
Switzerland and the US are at odds if a fixed price of 6 billion francs ($7.7 billion) was set for what was initially supposed to be a purchase of 36 jets. Bern said Friday that it won’t go beyond the budgeted sum for this, which will result in fewer F-35A jets being acquired. It assumes that 30 planes can be procured with that amount, but added that the number isn’t yet final.
Separately, the government plans to stick with an order of five Patriot air defense systems but is considering complementing them with an additional system. That’s because the Patriot order faces a 4-to-5-year delay as the US prioritizes deliveries to Ukraine, according to a statement.
“This second system should preferably be produced in Europe,” the government said. “This reduces dependence on a single supply chain and a single country.”
The government also said that going forward with a planned temporary increase of the sales tax to fund the defense purchases. A necessary plebiscite on this is planned for the summer of next year. If voters back the change, the tax could rise from Jan. 1, 2028.
–With assistance from Levin Stamm.
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