Switzerland is accelerating the purchase of counter-drone systems due to an increase in airspace violations, particularly over civilian and military infrastructure. This was stated by the commander of the Swiss army, Lieutenant General Benedikt Roos, who was quoted by Bloomberg on June 4.
According to him, the country is “as quickly as possible” purchasing systems to protect the army from drones amid an increase in the number of such incidents. He noted that the threats have changed due to the development of hybrid warfare.
The first tests of the new anti-drone systems are planned to take place in mid-June as part of security measures for the G7 summit in Evian, France, near the Swiss border.
“Switzerland has a lot of critical infrastructure that is of great importance for Europe. […] Our task is to show that the idea of the country as a “hole in the NATO donut” is erroneous,” the official said.
Separately, he noted that Switzerland is facing delays in the delivery of Patriot systems from the United States and a review of the purchase of F-35 fighter jets due to disputes regarding their cost.
