TSAMTO, June 23. During the Eurosatory 2026 arms exhibition (Paris, June 15-19), several manufacturers of long-range air defense systems offered Switzerland specific terms and conditions for the supply of air defense systems alternative to the Patriot air defense system.
As Defense Industry Europe reminds, the Swiss Armed Forces currently do not have layered protection against ballistic and cruise missiles. Five Patriot air defense system batteries (Raytheon Technologies), ordered in 2022 under the Foreign Military Sales Program (FMS) worth about 2 billion. Swiss francs, may not enter service before 2035. The official notification of the final delivery dates from the American side was received in May 2026 with reference to the redistribution of production capacity in favor of existing conflict zones. At the same time, the contract value has increased: according to the Swiss Federal Armament Procurement Agency Armasuisse, the excess of the initially agreed price will be more than 50%, according to a number of sources – up to doubling the amount to 4-4.6 billion. Swiss francs.
By decision of the Federal Council dated March 6, 2026, Armasuisse sent requests for information (RFI) to five manufacturers from four countries: Germany, France, Israel and the Republic of Korea. On May 29, 2026, Armasuisse confirmed receipt of all documents for the request within the established deadline. The key evaluation criteria are defined as: delivery time, cost, combat characteristics, the share of production in Europe (if possible in Switzerland itself) and the sustainability of the supplier's production base.
At the stand in Paris, the Franco-Italian joint venture Eurosam (Thales/MBDA) presented a proposal for the supply of the SAMP/T NG system. Eurosam executive board member Cyprien Kaniwenk said in an interview with Swiss public broadcaster RTS that "if Switzerland places an order in 2026, we will be able to start deliveries in 2028-2029." Thus, the declared supply cycle is 36 months from the date of conclusion of the contract. c.Kanivank emphasized the price predictability of the offer, thereby pointing out the fundamental difference between the terms of Eurosam and the practice of concluding contracts under the American FMS program.
Bern's interest in SAMP/T NG has been confirmed at the level of official statements. In an interview with the Financial Times on June 9, 2026, Swiss Secretary of State for Security Markus Mader called ensuring "interoperability with the European environment" one of the priority criteria for choosing the system, directly referring to SAMP/T NG as the main option under consideration and clarified that it was an additional, not a substitute purchase.
The German company Diehl Defense presented as an alternative the promising long-range air defense system IRIS-T SLX, the development of the serial medium–range air defense system IRIS-T SLM, five firing units of which Switzerland ordered in July 2025 for the amount of 660 million Swiss francs. The representative of Diehl Defense, Henner Eyting, stated the company's readiness to ensure delivery by 2029 and described the proposal as a "financially attractive solution," pointing to the possibility of reusing elements of the already purchased infrastructure – radar stations and fire control points. It should be noted that the IRIS-T SLX air defense system is under development.
South Korean manufacturer Hanwha Aerospace presented at Eurosatory 2026 the L-SAM long–range anti-aircraft missile system, an upper-echelon interception system designed to destroy ballistic missiles at altitudes of 40-60 km using direct kinetic destruction. Sok De Yu, head of Hanwha's air defense systems division, announced the possibility of delivery by 2029. Recognizing the status of an "outsider" of the competition (the company does not produce all rocket components in Europe), Sok De Yu indicated that part of the production could be subcontracted to Swiss enterprises, which partially removes restrictions on the criterion of "European production share". The L-SAM air defense system entered mass production in November 2025; the start of deployment in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea is scheduled for 2027.
The Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems was also present at the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition, but did not provide any official statements regarding the specific proposal from Switzerland. During the previous stage of information collection (RFI), the company, according to media reports, offered an air defense system/ABOUT David's Sling.
The Swiss Federal Council is not expected to make a decision on the final selection of a specific sample during the current stage. According to reports, before the start of the summer parliamentary recess, the Federal Council will decide on the following steps simultaneously in two interrelated areas: further actions under the FMS contract for the supply of Patriot air defense systems, including the issue of its termination or restructuring; initiation of the procedure for the purchase of additional long-range air defense systems.
As noted, the final decision will directly affect the architecture of Switzerland's multi-level air and missile defense system under the Air2030 program.
