What exactly is this about? Let's remind. When the Swiss authorities decided to purchase 36 F-35A Lightning II fighters in 2021, they set the budget for this transaction at 6 billion francs ($7.54 billion). This amount was also previously presented to its citizens, who in 2020, through a referendum, expressed their consent to the transaction.
However, problems quickly arose.
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That's because that, as the American side later explained, the originally estimated amount was “incorrectly estimated”which in practice means that the budget provided is insufficient to purchase 36 F-35A Lightning II fighters. This forced the Swiss authorities to verify the order and ultimately decide to reduce the number of ordered machines
“Due to foreseeable cost overruns, maintaining the originally planned number of 36 F-35A fighters is not financially feasible,” reads the government's statement, quoted by Reuters.
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In this regard, the Swiss government announced that The Ministry of Defense was obliged to purchase the maximum number of fighters within the established budget.
Despite this decision, the authorities do not rule out the possibility of implementing the original plan to purchase 36 machines in the future, if it proves necessary to strengthen the country's defense capabilities. The government emphasized that a possible increase in the number of aircraft will be considered regardless of the currently selected model.
It is worth recalling that Switzerland has been struggling with trade tensions with the United States in recent months, which introduced a 39 percent tariffs on Swiss exports. However, after the agreement was reached in September, this rate was reduced to 15%. Despite previous difficulties, the government in Bern confirmed its commitment to purchase the F-35A.
Read also: F-35 on the horizon. Poland is preparing for deliveries
In the context of the changing geopolitical situation, the Swiss Ministry of Defense is also planning to modernize air defense systems. According to preliminary estimates, the country will need from 55 to 70 modern fighters, which may mean additional purchases in the future.
