Switzerland Stays Committed to F-35s, Reduces Order from 36 to 30 Aircraft

Switzerland has confirmed it will continue with its F-35A fighter jet program, but the government now expects to acquire around 30 aircraft instead of the originally planned 36, citing rising program costs linked to inflation, raw material prices, and other economic factors.

According to the Swiss Federal Council, the decision aligns with the financial framework approved by voters in 2020, which set a ceiling of 6 billion Swiss francs (adjusted for inflation to approximately 6.429 billion by the end of 2025). To accommodate the revised procurement plan, the government will request an additional 394 million Swiss francs from parliament, covering increased costs while remaining within the authorized limit.

“The United States has claimed additional costs for inflation, raw material development, and other factors,” the Council stated. This additional funding would allow Switzerland to secure production slots for up to 30 F-35A aircraft, with final numbers depending on future U.S. government contract negotiations.

Officials acknowledged that operating fewer than 36 fighters carries operational implications, potentially affecting Switzerland’s ability to sustain air defense during heightened tension or conflict. An expert group previously recommended a fleet of 55–70 modern fighters to meet the current threat environment, highlighting the gap that remains even with the new plan.

Abandoning the program entirely was rejected on security grounds. The Federal Council emphasized that withdrawing would impose severe limitations on Switzerland’s ability to protect its territory and population. Confirming the order by Q2 2027 is essential to retain manufacturing slots within the F-35 production schedule.

The F-35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter, capable of air superiority, strike, and ISR missions. Its advanced sensors, data-fusion systems, and networked communications allow Switzerland to integrate modern capabilities into its air defense and maintain interoperability with allied forces.

While the reduction in aircraft numbers reflects fiscal prudence, Switzerland remains committed to modernizing its air force, balancing budget realities with strategic security imperatives.

Fighter jet exercise kicks off in Norway

One of Europe’s largest fighter jet exercises kicked off Monday north of the Arctic Circle, a region where growing Russian activity has sparked concerns among neighboring countries.
Arctic Challenge 2015 brings together close to 100 fighter jets and more than 4,000 individual participants from nine nations, according to Norway’s military, which is hosting the exercise. Twelve USAF F-16 fighters will take part in the 12-day event, as will several of NATO’s early warning aircraft, known as AWACS.
The drills aim to smooth coordination among allies operating in a region stretching from northern Norway across Sweden to Finland. It comes at a time of growing Russian air activity in the region, which is adjacent to Russian territory.
Arctic Challenge was last held in 2013. This year’s event is one of a series of bulked-up military exercises being held across northern Europe in response to increased Russian military activity.
Non-NATO members Sweden and Finland are participating more frequently in those exercises and training, as a consequence of increased tensions in the area.
Other participants in the exercise include Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland, another non-NATO nation.
stripes

Switzerland to relaunch F-5 replacement effort in 2017

Switzerland is to relaunch its efforts to procure a new fighter type following the recent announcement by the Federal Department of Defence, that it is prematurely retiring a third of the ageing Northrop F-5E Tiger II fleet due to cracking.
The cracking in 16 of the country's 32 serviceable F-5Es (10 of which will be retired and 6 repaired and returned to service) coupled with the relatively small number of Boeing F/A-18 Hornets in service had left the air force in a 'critical' position. Once the retirements and repairs were complete, the country would be left with just 22 F-5E and 32 F/A-18C/D frontline fighters.
This state of affairs has been compounded by the Swiss population's decision in May 2014 to reject a deal to procure 22 Saab Gripen E jets to replace the F-5s and augment the F/A-18s. Under that proposal, the Swiss Air Force was to receive a number of Gripen C/D fighters in 2016 ahead of the start of Gripen E deliveries in 2018. The F-5s were to be phased out from 2016, with deliveries of the Gripen E running through to 2021.
According to the government, the new process should include two of the three shortlisted candidates from the previous effort; namely, the Gripen E and the Dassault Rafale (the Eurofighter Typhoon is no longer considered a 'favourite', the RTS report said). It added that 'a US aircraft', most likely the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, should also be included.
When the F-5 replacement programme was launched in 2007, Saab submitted its Gripen C/D, Boeing its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault its Rafale, and Eurofighter its Typhoon. Less than a year later in 2008, Boeing dropped out of the competition citing differences between the requirements and the Super Hornet's capabilities.
The competition stalled in 2010, but was resurrected in mid-2011 after intense lobbying by Swiss industry, with Saab then offering its Gripen NG instead. Later that year, the Gripen NG (later to become the Gripen E) was selected, only to have the deal scuppered in the referendum. This decision effectively sent the air force back to square one in its efforts to replace its ageing F-5s.
janes

Pilatus delivers additional PC-21 trainer to Royal Saudi Air Force

Pilatus has shipped another PC-21 expanded envelope trainer aircraft off its final assembly line for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).
The aircraft represents the 100th turboprop trainer PC-21 to be rolled off the company's final assembly line in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia ordered 55 PC-21 aircraft in May 2012.
The deal also covered the delivery of 22 Hawk 165 advanced jet trainers.
The PC-21 will also replace RSAF's existing PC-9 trainer fleet, which comprises 47 aircraft that were delivered by BAE as part of a package deal with Hawks to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1980s.
The RSAF took delivery of the initial six aircraft in June 2014. The remaining aircraft are currently in production, while the instructors are preparing for their first student courses.
The PC-21 is currently operated by the air forces of Singapore, Switzerland and the UAE, and has also been ordered by Qatar.
airforce-technology

Switzerland choses Hermes UAV to upgrade fleet

Switzerland has chosen Elbit's Hermes 900 HFE as its new UAV. It will replace the ADS 95 Ranger, which the Swiss have operated since 2001.
The Hermes will be "more flexible, has longer endurance in the air and a wider operational range than the system currently in use," according to a Swiss Federal Department of Defense announcement.
Elbit's Hermes was selected over the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron.
The changeover will be complete by 2020. The Swiss government announcement was careful to note that the new UAV will be unarmed.
c4isrnet

Scorpion jet pitched for Swiss air force

Textron is bidding to sell its Scorpion jets to the Swiss government at one-seventh the cost of Swedish Gripen fighter planes turned down by voters in Switzerland this month.
Acording Textron president “The Scorpion is ideally suited to Switzerland’s circumstances”, It is cheaper than the Gripen and still meets 90 percent of the tasks at hand”.
Swiss voters on May 18th shot down a deal approved by the government to buy 22 Gripen fighter jets from Saab.
The planes were to replace the Swiss air force’s fleet of 54 F-5.
Scorpion, is not a supersonic fighter and is not intended to be and is designed to be an affordable option for air forces to provide air space surveillance and intelligence.
The Swiss department of defence is not commenting on the Scorpion proposal.
thelocal.ch

Swiss voters reject Gripen purchase

Swiss voters have rejected the country's planned purchase of 22 Saab Gripen E in a landmark referendum on 18 May.
In a major blow to Saab, the country voted 53.4% against the proposed purchase of the Gripen E to replace the F-5 Tiger II fighter aircraft.
The Gripen E had been selected by Switzerland in November 2011 to replace the F-5s.
The 54 Tiger II fleet has been in Swiss service since 1978 and is scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2016. Meanwhile, the other element of the Swiss Air Force's combat fleet, its 32 Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornets, is itself currently scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2025. With the purchase of the Gripen now rejected, Switzerland urgently needs a solution to maintain the country's air policing capabilities.
A short-term solution could involve upgrading and refurbishing the country's existing Tiger II fleet, which could be maintained in service until at least 2020.
Other options include relaunching the original Tiger replacement programme, in which the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale had also competed. Alternatively, with the purchase of Gripens now ruled out, Switzerland could lease a fleet of the aircraft, as the Czech Republic and Hungary do.
janes

Swiss voters set to reject Saab fighter jet deal, poll shows

Around 62 percent of swiss voters would reject the proposal to replace Switzerland's fleet of F-5 fighters with the Gripen. The poll, questioned more than 1,000 people.
The Gripens are unpopular in Switzerland,because the deal will require cost cuts in other areas, such as education.
Switzerland's upper and lower houses voted in favor of the purchase of the jets in September, but Swiss interest groups can secure referendums on new laws if they collect a sufficient number of signatures.
The vote on the jet purchase is scheduled for May 18, the same day as a popular vote on whether to adopt the world's highest minimum wage.
reuters

Swiss could vote in May on fighter deal

The Swiss public could vote in May on a deal to buy 22 JAS-39 fighter planes from Sweden, after opponents Tuesday submitted over 100,000 signatures seeking a referendum.
The goal of the campaigners is to block the purchase of the Gripen fighters
Under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, citizens can have the last word on a huge array of issues if campaigners muster enough signatures from voters in order to force a plebiscite.
Polls have shown that a majority of voters oppose the Gripen deal.
Approved by the government in 2011 and backed by parliament last year, it cannot be blocked as such.
But opponents have been able to contest the law that allows the purchase to be funded by drawing an annual 300 million Swiss francs from the army's budget over 10 years.
The coalition campaigning against the deal is steered by the left-leaning Socialists and Greens, as well as anti-militarists, but also includes economic liberals opposed to the price tag.
The opponents also argue that the model of Gripen chosen by the authorities only exists on paper, as its maker, Sweden's Saab, is still developing it.
The air force of neutral Switzerland currently has 32 Super Hornets in service, purchased in 1996.
There are currently 166 Gripen fighters in service globally, with 100 in Sweden, 26 in South Africa, 14 each in the Czech Republic and Hungary, and 12 in Thailand.
expatica

Brazil could produce Gripens sold in in South America and Africa

The Swedish government is working on a joint strategy with Saab to extend the Gripen-E combat fighter offer to Brazil to include a radically up-scaled industrial dimension that would see Brazil become the primary production base for future Gripen-E sales to South America and Africa through a joint venture with Embraer.
Sweden plans to convene an inter-departmental meeting between ministers pivotal to the Gripen-E sale to Brazil in January.
The Swedish government has already confirmed that part of the 36 Gripen-E combat aircraft earmarked in Saab’s preliminary sale contract will be manufactured at a new plant Brazil. This facility would produce the Gripen-E or two seat Gripen-F aircraft in support of any future sales to other South American and African countries.
The two governments are also discussing an interim solution, ahead of the delivery of the first Gripen-Es in 2018, under which Brazil could lease Gripen C/D one or two seat combat aircraft from the Swedish Air Force’s existing or surplus fleet and stock.
The Swedish Air Force’s current stock of older version Gripens includes around 87 Gripen-C aircraft and 50 Gripen-A fighters dating to the mid-1990s. The lease proposal is likely to include a possible conversion of Gripen-As to Gripen-C type status which would be funded by the Swedish state.
defensenews

Brazil may wait over four years for new fighters, says Saab

Brazil is not likely to receive the first of its new fighter jets from Saab AB for more than four years, underscoring the need for stopgap aircraft in coming years.
Brazil's Gripen NG should arrive after Sweden takes the first deliveries of the next-generation aircraft in early 2018.
That will leave the Brazilian air force waiting to replenish an old, shrinking fleet.
While Brazil waits, the country is negotiating with Sweden to lease existing Gripen C/D, in order to offset the loss of a dozen Mirage fighters at the end of this year.
The Swedish air force is flying 98 Gripens, according to Saab's website, and has ordered the upgrade of 60 Gripen C to the next-generation model, with deliveries beginning in 2018.
The Swiss armed forces have also ordered 22 of the newest Gripens.
reuters

Saab To Upgrade 60 Gripens for Sweden

Saab has been given the go-ahead to modify Gripen C fighters to the new-generation E standard.
Saab said the order to begin serial production for 60 of the significantly upgraded Gripen E version would allow initial deliveries to get underway in 2018 and be completed by 2026.
Gripen E offers an active, electronically scanned array radar supplied by Selex ES, more weapons along with improved avionics and engine performance.
Switzerland has selected the new aircraft standard and is on course to purchase 22 machines subject to a referendum on the procurement expected next year.
A modified D-model trainer is already test-flying the latest updates and an E standard aircraft is in production ahead of a first flight in 2015. A further two test aircraft will also be added to the program.
defensenews

Albacete’s NATO Tactical Leadership Programme Spotters Day

On Oct. 1 and 2, the Tactical Leadership Programme and Albacete Airbase organized a two-day Spotters Day during TLP Flying Course 2013/5.
With nearly 400 spotters attending the event, it has was the largest spotter day organized since the TLP moved from Florennes to Albacete.
The FC 2013/5, which was the last course of the year, saw the participation of several assets from Spanish Air Force, Swiss AF, French AF, Polish AF, Turkish AF, Italian AF and the RAF.

As a side note, the Spotters Day was one of the last non operation daily flights of the Spanish Mirage F1 which are in the process of being stored for the sale.
Nicknamed ‘La abuela’ (Grandmother) by the Spanish fighter jocks, the Mirage F1 is being gradually replaced by the Eurofighter Typhoon.

theaviationist

Swiss upper house approves purchase of 22 JAS-39 Saab fighter jets

Switzerland's upper house voted in favour of buying 22 Gripen fighter jets from Swedish defence firm Saab on Wednesday, although the purchase may still face a popular vote.
Swiss lawmakers voted 27 to 17 to finance the $3.4 billion deal, which would replace the country's aging fleet of Northrop F-5 Tiger fighters with the Gripen jets.
reuters

Swiss deal for 22 Saab JAS-39 moves step forward

Saab's proposed sale of 22 Gripen fighter jets to Switzerland won approval from the lower house of parliament on Wednesday with the Swedish defence firm confident the $3.4 billion deal would go through next year.
Lawmakers voted 113 to 68 to support the government's proposal to replace the country's aging fleet of Northrop F-5 Tiger fighters with the Gripen jets.
The deal, which will be debated by the upper house of parliament on Sept. 18, could still be derailed by a popular referendum even if approved, if at least 50,000 people or eight cantons call for one within a limited timeframe.
reuters

Swiss parliamentary committee backs buying Gripen fighters

A parliamentary committee has backed Switzerland's purchase of 22 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden's Saab, clearing a major hurdle for the deal.
The security committee of Switzerland's lower house of parliament supported the government's proposal to purchase the fighters by 14 to 9 votes.
reuters

Swiss Parliament Committee Votes to Suspend Gripen Jet Purchase

The Swiss Parliament’s Defense Committee has voted to suspend the purchase of 22 Saab AB (SAABB) Gripen aircraft, asking the government for additional information.
“We are putting the Gripen deal on hold until some important questions are answered and the definitive agreement is available,” Beat Flach, a lawmaker for the Green Liberal party and member of the committee, said on his Twitter Inc. feed today. A spokeswoman for the Defense Ministry confirmed the outcome of the vote, declining to comment further.
Switzerland plans to spend about 3.1 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion) on the planes made by Saab, based in Linkoeping south of Stockholm, to replace aging Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) F-5 Tigers. Today’s vote is the second parliamentary setback for the acquisition, after the upper house last month failed to approve funding.
bloomberg

Saab gets deal to complete Gripen E development

Saab has received a major contract to complete development work on its next-generation Gripen E multirole combat aircraft, with the new Swedish commitment worth SKr10.7 billion ($1.64 billion).
Finalised by the nation's Defence Materiel Administration, the new order includes "definition and development work, as well as adaptation of test and trial equipment, simulators and rigs", says Saab. Covering activities to be performed between the 2015 and 2023 fiscal years, the 22 March contract follows an initial SKr2.5 billion deal, placed in mid-February and to run through 2014.
Current plans call for Sweden to fund the modernisation of 60 Gripen Cs to the E-model configuration for its air force, with deliveries to start in 2018 and the project to conclude in 2026. Also contained within an umbrella deal worth a maximum SKr47.2 billion is a pending order to manufacture 22 new-build examples for Switzerland.

flightglobal

Swiss National Council to decide on Gripen deal in June

Sweden’s hopes of cementing the sale of 22 Gripen-NG E/F variant fighter aircraft to Switzerland will remain at a crossroad pending ratification of the deal by the Swiss National Council in June, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said in Stockholm.

The National Council is scheduled to debate the project in mid-June. The JAS Gripen E/F sale contract is valued at $3.3 billion.

defensenews

Sweden Sanguine at Swiss Gripen Jet Purchase Delay

The decision by the upper chamber of the Swiss parliament not to release funds for the purchase of new JAS Gripen fighter jets from Sweden has renewed doubt about the deal.
On Tuesday, the upper house the Council of States approved the defence ministry purchase by 22 votes to 20, but blocked the necessary funds.

defencetalk