Key Points and Summary – Switzerland is walking back its plan to buy 36 F-35A fighters, saying it will instead purchase only the “maximum possible number” within a fixed 6 billion Swiss franc budget approved by referendum.
-Rising program costs, including pricey Block 4 upgrades and associated infrastructure, have blown past earlier assumptions.
F-22 and F-35 and the Flag. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Bern must now balance readiness with fiscal limits as F-35s replace aging F/A-18s and F-5s.
-The move unfolds amid recent U.S. tariffs on Swiss exports, Switzerland’s gradual tilt toward NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Ottawa’s still-unsettled F-35 decision in Canada—all shaping the broader political context.
Switzerland Plans to Cut F-35 order
The Swiss government has announced that it plans to cut its order of F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.
According to swissinfo.ch, the government now plans to purchase the “maximum possible number” of the jets within its budget, compared to the 36 in the original order. The decision came after it was announced this summer that the order would cost more than initially announced.
“Due to foreseeable cost overruns, maintaining the originally planned number of 36 F-35As is not financially feasible,” the Swiss government said in a statement.
“The will of the people will be honoured,” the government added.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot and commander, flies a U.S. Air Force F-35 during the Dubai Airshow, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 13, 2023. The U.S. maintains a highly agile fighting force, which leverages the most advanced training and platforms to dominate the warfighting landscape for the long-term security and stability of the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kaitlyn Ergish)
The change results in part from Switzerland’s unique procurement methods, in which a nationwide referendum several years ago approved the budget before the government chose which fighter to purchase.
Next Steps on F-35
The next step is that, in January, the Swiss defense ministry will present an “internal prioritisation of requirements for the years 2026/2027,” and then decide how many fighters to buy.
Per The War Zone, the government will make a purchase “within the previously agreed budget of six billion Swiss francs ($7.54 billion).”
They had decided on 36 jets for that amount, but the US has characterized that as a “misunderstanding.”
“Finland’s order for 64 F-35As, budgeted at $9.4 billion, worked out with an equivalent cost-per-jet of around $82 million. However, additional costs of infrastructure, weapons, maintenance equipment, spare parts, training, and other systems and services need to be factored in. In the case of the F-35, in particular, these costs are uniquely high,” TWZ reported.
According to Reuters, the purchase was agreed in 2021, after Switzerland’s population approved a 2020 referendum to fund a new fighter. TWZ described the referendum as “an unusual quirk of Swiss procurement, with the most expensive arms purchases first having to win the backing of the country’s voters.” The budget was approved before a fighter had even been picked. The F-35 was chosen over Boeing’s Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and Dassault Rafale.
Dassault Rafale Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Dassault Rafale Fighter. Image Credit: Dassault.
“The Federal Council is set to propose that Parliament approve the procurement of 36 F-35A fighter aircraft from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin and five Patriot fire units from US manufacturer Raytheon,” the Swiss government said in 2021.
An evaluation has revealed that these two systems offer the highest overall benefit at the lowest overall cost. The Federal Council is confident that these two systems are the most suitable for protecting the Swiss population from air threats in the future.”
The Block 4 Question
Per the F-35 joint program website, the Swiss F-35s “will be equipped with TR-3 hardware that has the latest Block 4 software.”
According to the TWZ story, this could be an issue with the cost.
“There’s also the issue of the delayed Block 4 upgrade and the lack of clarity around how much customers will actually pay for this. Block 4 supports a brand-new radar and a host of other capabilities. Among them are increased missile capacity, new weaponry, advanced electronic warfare capabilities, and improved target recognition, the report said. “As we pointed out in the past, Block 4 might only start to become available after the Swiss begin receiving their jets, which would require them to either upgrade or decide against getting that capability boost.”
The Swiss fleet, before the F-35 procurement, included 30 F/A-18C/D Hornets and the even older F-5E/F Tiger II.
F-5E Tiger Fighter Swiss Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Tariff Trouble
The United States imposed a 39 percent tariff on Swiss exports earlier this year, though an agreement later reduced that amount to 15 percent. That number has been made retroactive to November. According to CNBC, the US was the top destination for Swiss exports in 2024.
There had been a push by some Swiss politicians to cancel the F-35 deal altogether after the US initially imposed tariffs.
“With the US tariff ceiling set at 15%, trade-weighted US tariffs on Switzerland will fall by around 10% on average,” the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research said in a statement. “This will significantly improve access to the US market for Swiss companies.”
“In addition, based on the joint statement, the US is to lift the general additional tariff on further Swiss export products, including aircraft, certain aviation-related parts, rubber products, cosmetics, and generic drugs,” the department added. “The list will be published in the US Federal Register. Switzerland is seeking further exemptions.”
Switzerland and NATO
The Swiss, of course, have long been associated with neutrality, a policy they maintained throughout the 20th century. But since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland has drawn closer to NATO.
“Even Austria and Switzerland, two countries synonymous with neutrality, have taken some steps toward condemning Russian aggression, such as Switzerland’s decision to host a NATO liaison office in Geneva,” the Atlantic Council said in a report in late September.
Swissinfo also reported in June on public opinion in Switzerland.
“A narrow majority of 53% are in favour of a rapprochement with NATO, while 32% can imagine full NATO accession – an increase of two percentage points compared to the previous year,” that report said, citing data from the Military Academy and the Center for Security Studies at the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
“Although neutrality continues to receive a high level of approval at 87%, it is still ten percentage points below the value before the war in Ukraine,” the report added.
The Canada Question
As Switzerland moves towards purchasing fewer F-35 fighter jets, another country, Canada, continues to drag its feet on its decision of whether to go ahead with its own purchase of the jets.
A final decision has still not been made by the Canadian government, but the US ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, commented on the situation, per The National Post.
“Canada can do what it wants on the F-35, OK?” the ambassador said in an interview with the newspaper.
“Does it irritate me, personally, that we’re revisiting this issue? Yeah, it’d be nice to put this one to bed and move forward,” he said.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
