Swiss parascouts training in Ticino.
Keystone / Gaetan Bally
The Swiss Army is conducting training in shooting from helicopters in France. Due to limited facilities in Switzerland and to strengthen international cooperation, such exercises take place abroad. This is intended to improve defence capabilities.
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The exercise will take place from May 15-22, 2026, in Solenzara (France), the Army announced on Friday. A Cougar helicopter will be used for the exercise. The aim of the training is to practise firing at moving targets and to review the relevant operational procedures.
Firing long guns from a helicopter is particularly complex. This is partly due to the helicopter’s unstable platform and partly due to changing wind conditions. The training is therefore subject to strict regulations and requires high safety standards. It is carried out only in areas specifically approved for this purpose with clearly defined safety zones.
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The Air Force can only conduct such complex training exercises domestically to a limited extent. This is due to geographical, airspace-related and operational constraints. Furthermore, the Swiss government decided in 2024 to specifically intensify international military cooperation.
This enables the army to compensate for these limitations. The army benefits from the experience, procedures and standards of international partners. Furthermore, interoperability with partner armed forces is strengthened and operational readiness is further developed under realistic conditions, it said.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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