Confederation evaluates alternative air defence systems
Keystone-SDA
The Swiss government is pursuing the acquisition of an additional long-range air defence system, designed to complement US Patriot missiles. To this end, it is collecting information from four countries.
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In addition to the four countries – Germany, France, Israel and South Korea – five manufacturers were also approached, Kaj-Gunnar Sievert, spokesman for the Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse), told the Keystone-ATS news agency on Saturday, confirming a report published by CH Media.
Armasuisse has sent “requests for information” to the authorities in Germany, France, Israel and South Korea, Sievert explained. “Key priorities are delivery times, costs, performance and the share of production in Europe, ideally in Switzerland”.
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According to Armasuisse, the information should be available by the end of May. However, Sievert pointed out that these do not yet constitute an offer; therefore, the federal government will not yet make a decision on the model at this stage. Armasuisse made no statements as to which manufacturers and systems are specifically involved.
Patriots from the US delayed
In March, the government decided to consider whether it would be appropriate to purchase an additional surface-to-air air defence system, preferably of European manufacture, in addition to the US Patriot system already ordered.
With this decision, according to Defence Minister Martin Pfister, the government was reacting to the increased threat in Europe posed by long-range weapons, particularly in light of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Switzerland has already commissioned the Patriot system from the US, but the Swiss army will receive it four to five years later than originally planned, it emerged at the end of February. Originally, delivery of the system was scheduled for 2027 and 2028.
The government intends to cushion the impact of this delay by purchasing a second system. At the same time, it aims to reduce dependency on the United States. This step increases flexibility in the event of a conflict, Pfister explained in March.
Translated from Italian by AI/jdp
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