Switzerland has signed contracts for the purchase of fighter jets and air defense systems. Yesterday, on November 29, the press service of the Swiss Federal Office of Defense Procurement (Armasuisse) released details of the F-35 and Patriot deals.
It turned out that fighters and air defense systems will get the Swiss Armed Forces cheaper than originally planned. So, 6.035 billion Swiss francs will be paid for 36 F-35A fighters, of which 3.828 billion will cost the aircraft themselves (the rest of the amount consists of logistics costs, spare parts, weapons and training).
F-35A fighter
Image source: f35.com
At the rate of 0.95 Swiss francs per US dollar, it turned out that Armasuisse would save almost 300 million Swiss francs from the originally planned expenses. The five Patriot air defense systems ordered will cost Switzerland 1.987 billion Swiss francs. At the same time, the terms of deliveries to the Ministry of Defense of the country are not disclosed.
The Swiss Defense Ministry chose the F-35 and Patriot based on the results of the Air2030 tender in June this year. Then it was reported that the F-35A fighter beat all competitors, showing the best combat capabilities and turning out to be much cheaper.
