Swiss Want to Ditch US Fighter-Jet Deal on Cost Spat, Poll Finds

(Bloomberg) — Swiss voters want the government to walk away from a deal to buy three dozen F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp. because of a disagreement over the contract and a risk that the price could increase by as much as 1.3 billion francs ($1.6 billion).

More than 50% of respondents to a poll said they are in favor of getting an alternative jet or aborting the plan completely. That’s more than the share who support paying the extra cost or reducing the number of jets to maintain the original price. The survey for newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten was conducted mid-September.

Switzerland has said that a fixed price of 6 billion francs was agreed for the aircraft, but the US says this wasn’t the case and the country will have to pay more to cover higher energy and raw material costs.

The poll result will increase pressure on Defense Minister Martin Pfister, who is already being pushed by lawmakers to review the deal. The idea is gathering support as more politicians question whether buying from Lockheed Martin would be the right choice as geopolitical realities shift and President Donald Trump imposes damaging tariffs. But the dispute also risks angering Trump and undermining Switzerland’s efforts to negotiate a lower US trade levy.

The purchase of new jets has long been controversial in neutral Switzerland. It was approved in a national vote in 2020 by only the thinnest of margins.

The results of the poll follow another report earlier this month that showed growing discontent among Swiss voters about US relations. That survey, for broadcaster SRG SSR, showed 80% think that Switzerland is “too friendly” to the world’s biggest economy.

In August, the US imposed a 39% tariff on Switzerland, the highest among developed nations. That’s hit manufacturers and increased uncertainty about the economic outlook. Forecasters surveyed by Bloomberg last month said they expect the economy — adjusted for large sports events — to have shrunk by 0.2% in the third quarter in what would be the first contraction in more than two years.

–With assistance from Bastian Benrath-Wright.

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