Switzerland will purchase fewer F-35 fighter jets from the United States of America than previously planned. The country is trying to keep procurement costs within the voter-approved limit. This is reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
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In June, Bern announced that it faced additional costs of up to 1.3 billion Swiss francs ($1.6 billion) due to rising energy and raw material prices. This led to a conflict between Switzerland and the US over the initial cost of the deal – 6 billion francs for the purchase of three dozen F-35 fighter jets.
Given the planned additional costs, it is not possible from a budgetary policy perspective to maintain the initially planned quantity
Instead, the country now plans to purchase as many aircraft as possible within the 6 billion franc limit.
The purchase of new fighter jets has long been a controversial topic for neutral Switzerland, but the current moment is particularly sensitive, as Bern is completing negotiations with Washington to reduce import duties from 39% to 15%. This comes after Swiss companies pledged to invest $200 billion in the US over the next five years.
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The acquisition of the F-35 was approved in a nationwide referendum in 2020 with a minimal majority of votes and was directly tied to the initial price estimate. An October public opinion poll showed that most voters were willing to abandon the deal — either in favor of an alternative aircraft or by canceling the purchase altogether.
At the same time, the changed security environment in Europe after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as US demands for countries in the region to increase defense spending, have made it difficult for small states like Switzerland to access necessary weapons. US support for Ukraine also means that neutral Switzerland is not among the priority recipients, while Swiss defense companies have suffered losses due to strict export rules.
The government also confirmed its previously announced assessment that Switzerland would need 55 to 70 modern fighter jets for "comprehensive air defense adapted to the current threat situation," adding that it plans to review the possibility of further purchases at a later stage.
Defense Minister Martin Pfister said at a press conference on Friday that the government "concluded that we need a larger fleet, but the democratic decision is that today we cannot purchase 36 aircraft."
Last year, Switzerland decided to increase its defense spending to 1% of its gross domestic product by 2032, which is still significantly lower than the promises of NATO members.
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