Other opposition figures were both enthused and disappointed by the nearness of the loss on Sunday, which Green Party president Regula Rytz said was a “sensational” victory in itself. What will happen next? After the Swiss government cancelled the FFA N-20 and an order for 100 FFA P-16s, the Swiss aviation industry and the ETH Zurich made a final attempt to build their own Swiss fighter aircraft. On 24 August 2012, the Swedish agency for defense and export security, FXM, and its Swiss counterpart, Armasuisse, signed a framework agreement to purchase 22 Gripen E aircraft. At the same time, however, he praised Amherd for the manner of her campaign. For once, rather than voting on a specific aircraft, the electorate had to decide in principle on a credit of 6 billion CHF (approximately 6 billion USD) allocated from the armyâs regular budget to buy a new multi-role fighter-jetâwith the exact type and number of aircraft yet to be determined. This content was published on Sep 27, 2020 As opposed to the narrow rejection in 2014 of a CHF3 billion purchase of Swedish Gripen jets, this time polls had indicated a relatively clear success with 56-58% support. What are your thoughts on the outcome? For now, four aircraft types (the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin F-35A, Dassault Rafale, and Airbus Eurofighters) remain in evaluation (Saab withdrew its new Gripen-bid last year). However, in a national referendum in May 2014 a majority of Swiss ⦠In practice, Switzerland has few enemies and has fought no wars in centuries. This was the second set of nationwide votes this year, rather than the third, as a ballot in May was cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis. “Europe and the world have become more unstable,” it wrote in the official vote booklet. In addition, the Swiss Air Force will use the new fighter aircraft for air policing around the clock, and, in case of armed attack, defend the air space for a limited period of time and support the ground forces. The army needs to be ready to face any unknown threats that come up in the next 30 to 40 years. The purchaseâs opponents predictably decried this âblind bargain,â but the defense ministry made sure to avoid the mistakes of the previous vote when even some army-friendly politicians had questioned the Gripenâs suitability in the run-up to the vote. He covers direct democracy and politics and is usually in Bern. This content was published on Dec 19, 2019 The Swiss Air Force operates a total of 34 single-seat F/A-18C and two-seat F/A-18D Hornet fighters. The majority (50.2%) of Swiss voters gave the go-ahead to the purchase of new combat aircraft on Sept. ⦠The FFA P-16 was a Swiss prototype ground attack jet fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA). © Copyright 2020 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. Around 5.4 million Swiss citizens, including registered expatriate Swiss, were eligible to take part in the votes. This content was published on Sep 27, 2020 More about the author There is a long road ahead until the air force will receive its new aircraft and new obstacles might emerge. Combat Aircraft; Mirage III: France: fighter IIIS: 30: retired in 1999 P-51 ⦠This content was published on Aug 7, 2020 Please use a modern web browser for a better experience. The Swiss air force’s credit package for the purchase of new fighter jets has been challenged to a referendum by pacifists and left-wing parties. BERN, Switzerland - On Nov. 18, the U.S. government and Lockheed Martin submitted an F-35 proposal to the Swiss government in support of Switzerland's New Fighter Aircraft (NFA) competition. Switzerland has been trying to buy new warplanes for years. The jets, acquired in the 1990s, will age out by 2030. At the same time, politicians have already cautioned that the defense budget might be subject to austerity measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While opponents of the vote were at pains to argue that fighter jets were useless against cyberattacks or pandemics, the majority of the electorate seemed more inclined to accept Federal Councilor Amherdâs case that Switzerland simply cannot afford to be unprepared for future threats to its airspace. The move comes a day after Airbus and Germany placed their bid offering Eurofighter aircraft to the Swiss Government. But during its campaign, the government argued that the air force is vital for remaining credibly independent and sovereign – even if an all-out aerial attack is improbable. An annual study by the Military Academy at ETH Zurich and the Center of Security Studies confirms as much. More critically, with the Swiss Armed Forces and the defense ministry now put on notice, the 1993 vote may have led to the unwritten agreement that the government will consult the people for any future aircraft purchase. The 24 popular votes on national security since 1977 have all served to strengthen, rather than weaken, the army. Aug 23, 2020 Lukas Golder of the GfS Bern research institute said on Sunday that the high turnout of urban voters, who are generally more critical of the army, may have driven the close result. The modernization programs follow the assumption that the defense budget will grow substantially over the next decade. Swiss F/A-18 jets are to be upgraded while the MoD seeks to enact a new generation fighter programme. Your web browser is outdated. This time, the proponents of the deal closed ranks and ran a more disciplined campaign, even exhorting aircraft manufacturers to keep quiet and refrain from intervening in the public debate prior to the vote. As the national vote on a new fighter jet purchase approaches, Captain Maurice “Moe” Mattle of the Swiss air force tells us about his job. Despite plans to âsundownâ the F-5 in 2015, it ⦠In the end, 50.1% of the roughly three million voters who cast ballots approved the CHF6 billion ($6.49 billion) funding packet after a surprising afternoon that left pollsters unable to call the result until the last minute. Then, in 2022, the government intends to ask parliament for formal approval of both fighter jets as well as the air defense system that is finally set to roll out between 2025 and 2030. The reduction in fighter jets was accompanied by a decrease in the number of operational airbases and mirrored the overall downsizing of Swiss Armed Forces troop levels following the end of the Cold War. A right-wing proposal to scrap a Swiss immigration accord with the EU has been clearly rejected at the ballot box. The US Government and Lockheed Martin have officially proposed the sale of the F-35 aircraft to Switzerland to replace its ageing fighter jets through the New Fighter Aircraft (NFA) competition. There were also numerous ballots at cantonal and local levels on September 27. One of the particularities of Switzerland is the broad say its citizens have in political issuesâeven in matters of national security and defense. They also benefited from the fact that Federal Councilor Viola Amherd, who had become the countryâs first female defense minister in 2019, enjoys a broader appeal than her predecessors had. Swiss Air Force Started New Round of Fighter jets Trials to replace aging fleet April 15, 2019 Defence deals 706 Views On JANUARY 26, 2019 Switzerland received five bids to replace its aging fighter fleet, from European aerospace group Airbus, Franceâs Dassault and Swedenâs Saab, as well as Boeing ⦠Aug 7, 2020 Sep 2, 2020 Originally from Ireland, Domhnall worked in research and writing in a couple of European countries before joining swissinfo.ch in 2017. The main argument was that air policing tasks could be done by cheaper, lighter, and more sustainable planes, while the bigger tasks of combat and air defence are in any case illusory. Jun 17, 2020 Voters will have the final say on a CHF6 billion ($6.1 billion) package to buy new fighter jets for the Swiss airforce. As for the price tag, they also claimed that when maintenance, upgrades, and ancillary costs are factored in, the jets would cost CHF24 billion rather than CHF6 billion. The aircraft had met all Swiss Air Force requirements for an STOL attack fighter capable of carrying heavy loads, and the crash was widely considered a pretext for the Swiss parliament to reverse itself. The government has confirmed plans to acquire new fighter jets for the Swiss air force for no more than CHF6 billion ($6.1 billion) over the next few years. In a report two weeks ago, GfS Bern said that while in 2014 the issue of new fighters was seen as less pressing, its supporters had this time argued that rejection would leave the country unable to defend its skies by 2030. “Who wants to attack Switzerland?” said Green Party politician Fabian Fivaz. Voters in 2014 rejected a 3.1 billion-franc ($3.2 billion) order for Saab AB Gripen fighter jets. The first new aircraft would be delivered in 2018 and the intention was to lease 11 current generation (eight JAS 39Cs/3 JAS 39Ds) Gripen fighters from 2016 to 2020 in order to train Swiss fighter pilots while avoiding expensive upkeep of the F-5s. A new poll reveals that 58% of voters are in favor of procurement. By a margin of fewer than 9,000 votes, Swiss citizens have given a cautious all-clear for a multi-billion purchase of new fighter jets for the air force. After more than one-third of the electorate had endorsed a popular initiative to abolish the army in 1989, an even higher percentage (42.8 percent) voted, albeit unsuccessfully, against the planned purchase of the abovementioned F/A-18s in June 1993. The survey carried out by gfs.bern found that 39% opposed the acquisition and 3% had no opinion. Immediately after the vote, opponents raised the possibility of a popular initiative against the purchase, particularly if the Swiss Government were to select a U.S. aircraft type. Even though poll ratings had predicted a conclusive result, the referendum wound up hanging in the balance. Image: G. Mader . The vote is a landmark decision for the future of the Swiss Air Force, which had been characterized mostly by reorganization and downsizing over the last three decades. While the Federal Council will consult the official evaluation reports prior to its decision, political calculations based on the manufacturersâ countries of origin will likely play an important role, too. This Sunday, the Swiss electorate voted to purchase new fighter aircraft by the end of the decade. Switzerland narrowly elects to modernize its air force but some questions remain. Swiss citizens today voted to approve the purchase of CHF6 billion ($6.4 billion) worth new fighter by the countryâs air force that had been challenged to a referendum by pacifists and left-wing political parties. Defence Minister Viola Amherd welcomed the victory and said the government would now proceed with the evaluation of four models bidding for the contract: the Lockheed-Martin F-35, Boeing’s Super Hornet, Dassault’s Rafale, and Airbus’s Eurofighter Typhoon. Amherd said this will not derail plans to finalise the contract by 2021. Eurofighter Typhoon Fighter Aircraft New extended-range ground-based air defence system What has changed in the past six years? Sep 27, 2020 By a margin of just 9,000 votes, Swiss citizens have given a cautious all-clear for a multi-billion purchase of new fighter jets for the air force. In total, 110 examples were delivered to Switzerland, comprising ⦠8,670 â that is how many voters it took to tilt the balance in favor of the new procurement. From Europe, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale and the Saab Gripen E; from the US â the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. 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