PARIS — Switzerland will consider acquiring a second long-range air-defense system, preferably produced in Europe, as delivery of previously ordered Patriot systems by the United States will be delayed by four to five years, the government said on Friday.
The country will also buy fewer Lockheed Martin F-35 jets than initially planned after unit costs of the fighter increased, with the government unwilling to provide the additional budget to maintain to the original number of 36 ordered aircraft, Martin Pfister, the federal councillor for defense, said in a press conference.
The U.S. last year reprioritized delivery of Patriot systems amid European support for Ukraine, and Switzerland’s national armaments director was informed in February about possible delays and additional costs, according to Pfister.
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Based on current information, the delivery schedule will slip four to five years, while the impact of the Middle East conflict on the delay remains unclear for now, Pfister said.
Swiss leaders have calculated that the price of the initial 2019 order of Patriot, with a price tag of 2 billion francs, could increase by up to 50% when factoring in the latest delay.
While Switzerland is sticking to Patriot as the central component of its longer-range air defenses, the government has ordered the Federal Department of Defence to “immediately” examine procurement of a second longer-range ground-based air defense system to close existing capability gaps as quickly as possible, according to Pfister.
“This second system should preferably be produced in Europe,” Pfister said. “Concretely, this means that it must be a European system or a non-European system manufactured in Europe. That way we will no longer be dependent on a single supply chain or a single country, and will be better able to ensure availability.”
The French-Italian SAMP/T system is the only European alternative to Patriot. Denmark in September picked the system developed by Eurosam, a joint venture between Thales and the French and Italian branches of missile maker MBDA.
The purchase of a second air-defense system would be submitted to parliament for approval, and would be financed from the regular armed forces budget, according to Pfister.
Regarding Switzerland’s planned F-35 buy, the approved budget of 6 billion Swiss francs (US$7.6 billion) no longer covers the original plan for 36 aircraft, and the government won’t fork out an extra 1.1 billion francs to maintain the number of airframes. He said Switzerland now estimates that with a smaller top-up of roughly 400 million francs, it can buy around 30 jets, though the number isn’t final.
Switzerland had been sparring with the U.S. over rising costs for the F-35, with the government’s margin of maneuver limited by the Alpine country’s model of participative democracy, which gives voters an immediate say on spending. The budget for the F-35 deal was only narrowly approved by Swiss voters in 2020, with 50.2% in favor of the purchase.
The Federal Council previously diagnosed a current budget shortfall for defense and civilian security authorities to the tune of 31 billion francs.
Pending lawmakers’ approval, the catch-up financing plan envisions a value added tax increase of 0.8% over ten years and the creation of a special fund to pay for urgently needed military equipment, officials said following their March 6 cabinet meeting.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
