Switzerland Speeds Anti-Drone Procurement as Incursions Rise

(Bloomberg) — Switzerland’s army chief said the country is fast-tracking the purchase of anti-drone systems as incursions mount over civilian and military infrastructure.

Rising intrusions means the Swiss have been buying “systems as quickly as possible to protect the army against drones,” Lieutenant General Benedikt Roos said on the sidelines of the Swiss Economic Forum in Interlaken.

The security landscape has changed with the increased use of hybrid warfare, according to Roos, who’s been at the helm of the Swiss armed forces since Jan. 1. The Swiss anti-drone systems will face their first live test in mid-June as part of security arrangements for the Group of Seven summit in Evian, the French town just across the border from Switzerland, Roos said.

Drone defenses have been an increasingly high priority across Europe, as Russian weapons have violated nations’ airspace repeatedly since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last month, a Russian drone injured several people when it crashed into a residential building in Romania, while European Union President Ursula van der Leyen has called for member states to develop a defensive “drone wall.”

While neutral Switzerland isn’t a member of NATO, the army chief stressed that the country’s security was also of relevance to the rest of the continent.

“Switzerland has a lot of critical infrastructure that is of great importance to Europe,” Roos said. “Our task is to make it clear that the image of the country as a hole in the NATO doughnut is a misconception.”

The Middle East and Ukraine conflicts have highlighted the importance of missile defenses. And with the US facing depleted interceptor stockpiles, some countries, including Switzerland, have found themselves at the back of the line to buy more.

Switzerland faces delays on an order for Patriot ground-based air defense systems from the US. Bern has also been caught up in a spat over the price of F-35 fighter jets from the US and has said it will procure fewer planes than originally planned.

In November, procurement agency Armasuisse awarded a 3.5 million Swiss franc ($4.4 million) anti-drone contract to domestic supplier Securiton AG.

In times of need and pending political approval, the anti-drone systems could also be used to support civilian authorities, Roos said.

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