Switzerland Scales Back F-35 Orders
The Federal Council confirmed in a statement that it has abandoned plans to purchase the originally intended 36 F-35A aircraft, opting instead to acquire approximately 30 jets within the financial ceiling previously approved by Swiss voters.
To cover elevated costs driven by inflation, rising raw material prices, and other factors, the government will seek an additional credit of 394 million Swiss francs — equivalent to over $504 million — from parliament. Procuring the full complement of 36 aircraft would have required roughly 1.1 billion francs ($1.3 billion) in supplementary funding, an outlay the Federal Council said it would not pursue on financial policy grounds.
The revised plan remains within the 6 billion franc ($7.7 billion) ceiling that Swiss voters authorized in a 2020 referendum for the acquisition of new fighter aircraft.
On the air defense front, the government has directed the Defense Ministry to assess the procurement of an additional long-range ground-based system, with a preference for European-made alternatives — specifically the French-produced SAMP/T.
Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister left little ambiguity about the government's intent: "We are taking decisive action to ensure Switzerland's security: We will stick with the Patriot air defense system and are looking into a second one - ideally from Europe."
The push for an alternative system follows significant delays in the delivery of US-made Patriot air defense batteries ordered by Switzerland, which Washington has reprioritized to support Ukraine. Under current projections, delivery of Switzerland's five Patriot firing units could be set back by four to five years.
The Defense Ministry is expected to submit its findings on the supplementary air defense review by summer 2027.
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