National Council delays second Swiss air-defence system

Switzerland’s procurement of a second ground-based air-defence system will be delayed beyond the end of the year after the National Council rejected an expedited parliamentary procedure, SRF reported.

The Defence Department said the original timetable was no longer feasible. Completing the purchase by year-end would have required urgent consideration by both chambers during the winter session. The Federal Council will assess the new situation, decide on next steps and provide further information.

The arms procurement agency Armasuisse has completed its evaluation of bids for the Bodluv GR2 system. The Federal Council will choose the system. Binding offers came from France, Israel and South Korea. Media reports have named the French-Italian consortium Eurosam as the favourite.

The government has said it would not have been justified to exclude non-European bidders, partly because parts of the supply chain could be moved to Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe. The final choice will also consider long-range performance, availability, cost, and foreign and integration policy factors.

The procurement is part of an expansion of ground-based air defence. The government has allocated six billion francs for the second system and to cover some of the additional costs for the already ordered US Patriot system. The purchase is to be funded entirely from a 24 billion franc supplementary package for the armed forces approved by parliament.