Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Neutral Switzerland plans to buy dozens of US F-35 fighter jets

Neutral Switzerland plans to buy dozens of US F-35 fighter jets

Switzerland has chosen Lockheed Martin's F-35A Lightning II as its next-generation fighter jet, the government said on Wednesday, angering opponents who have pledged a new referendum to overturn what they dubbed an unnecessary "Ferrari" option.

The $5.5 billion deal adds a 15th nation to the world's largest weapons project -- a family of interconnected, single-engine jets to be used by the United States and its allies and partners.

It came alongside a $2.1 billion agreement to buy the Patriot surface-to-air missile system from US group Raytheon, with European competitors losing out on both deals.

The F-35 has faced multiple budget overruns, delays and technical setbacks, but is building export momentum. Critics say the project, valued at trillions of dollars over its lifetime, has seen costs soar while failing to meet goals on capability.

Neutral Switzerland will buy 36 F-35As after an evaluation found it had "the highest overall benefit at the lowest overall cost," the government said.
The aircraft beat bids from Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Rafale from France's Dassault and the four-nation Eurofighter built by Germany- and Spain-backed Airbus, Italy's Leonardo and Britain's BAE Systems.

The decision drew immediate criticism from anti-armaments campaigners and left-wing parties who will now launch a campaign for a referendum on the issue, the third Swiss vote on buying fighter jets.

Voters seven years ago rejected the purchase of Gripen jets from Sweden's Saab, while the 6 billion Swiss franc ($6.5 billion) funding, which led to the decision to buy the F-35As, was only narrowly approved last year.

Opponents say Switzerland doesn't need cutting-edge warplanes to defend its Alpine territory, which a supersonic jet can cross in 10 minutes.

"The decision is simply incomprehensible," said Priska Seiler Graf, a member of Parliament for the left-leaning Social Democrats (SP), who has raised concerns about the cost.

"It's not just about buying them, but the upkeep and operating costs," she added. "We should seek a European solution ... we don't want to be dependent on the United States."

The government picked the Patriot missile system over Franco-Italian group Eurosam.

Defense Minister Viola Amherd said the F-35As were chosen after being the most impressive performer in an evaluation and offered best value for money.

Total costs of 15.5 billion francs ($16.7 billion) came in 2 billion francs cheaper than the next lowest bidder, the government said, based on buying and operating the aircraft over 30 years.

"We would not have bought a Ferrari if a VW would do and the Ferrari would be three times more expensive," Amherd told a news conference.

The Swiss Parliament now has to approve the funding for the purchase, with the debate scheduled for early next year. It can debate costs and terms but not revisit the model selection.

Dozens of US Air Force F-35 fighters taxi on the runway in preparation for a combat power exercise on Nov. 19, 2018, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.


The fighter decision was closely watched as the first of three face-offs ahead of Finland and Canada.

Lockheed's stealthy fifth-generation fighter recently added Poland to its list of European customers which includes Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Britain.

US President Joe Biden had lobbied for American companies when meeting his Swiss counterpart while in Geneva for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month.

Analysts said the decision to snub both the European fighter jet candidates and surface-to-air missile offering could be seen as a Swiss rebuff to the European Union in a time of strained relations between Bern and Brussels after the collapse of talks over a new agreement governing trade and other matters.

By doubling down on US suppliers the government could antagonize the 49.8% of voters who opposed funding last year.

Anti-arms campaigners say Switzerland, which last fought a foreign war more than 200 years ago and has no discernable enemies, does not need cutting-edge fighters.

But supporters have said Switzerland needs to be able to protect itself without relying on others.

Jonas Kampus, political secretary of the Group for a Switzerland without an Army, said he was confident of winning a referendum against the F-35As.
The government "can expect a heavy defeat in the vote. The follow-up polls in September (2020) showed a clear rejection of the F-35 among the voting population," he said.

Marionna Schlatter, a lawmaker with the Greens Party said the September poll was too close to ignore opposition concerns.

"The people don't want a Ferrari in the air," she said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×