Switzerland narrows air defence options but keeps Patriot order

Switzerland’s Federal Council has narrowed the candidates for a second long-range air defence system to suppliers from France and Israel, while keeping its delayed Patriot order with the United States. SRF reported the decision on Wednesday.

The remaining options are SAMP/T NG, offered by the French-Italian Eurosam consortium of MBDA and Thales, and Israel’s Barak MX system, originally developed jointly with India. A South Korean competitor has been eliminated.

The government said cancelling the Patriot purchase would not be an option on security grounds without an immediately available alternative, despite serious delivery delays and substantial extra costs. It will continue talks with the United States to limit the delay while evaluating a second system. The new system is intended to expand air defence coverage and reduce reliance on a single US supply chain.

Switzerland’s Defence Department will now conduct a more detailed assessment of the two remaining systems, weighing foreign and economic policy alongside military and technical capabilities. The French-Italian bid is viewed as a favourite in Bern, according to media reports. Choosing it could help improve relations with France, which cooled after Switzerland selected the F-35 over the Rafale, and strengthen defence procurement ties in Europe. Barak MX is considered militarily advanced and proven, but Israel’s bid is politically sensitive because of the conflict in the Middle East.

Switzerland had originally expected its five Patriot fire units to arrive from 2027. In spring 2026, Washington told Bern that deliveries would be delayed by five to seven years, after the United States prioritised shipments to Ukraine and redirected systems intended for Switzerland to Germany. The delay has left a years-long gap in Swiss air defence, while the projected cost of the Patriot purchase has risen from two billion francs to as much as 3.7 billion or even 4.3 billion francs.

Relations with the United States were strained after Bern halted payments over the delays. Switzerland later found that money for its F-35 programme had been redirected from a joint trust fund to pay for Patriot. The Federal Council lifted the payment halt in June to avoid jeopardising the F-35 project. Talks with Germany on participating in the supply of components failed in September. On Wednesday, armaments chief Urs Loher said in an interview that Switzerland would receive back at least part of its advance payments to the United States, which exceed one billion francs.

The second system is to be funded through a military financing package providing an additional 24 billion francs for the armed forces. Six billion francs are earmarked for the new air defence system and Patriot cost increases. Parliament is expected to consider the package during its December winter session. After the National Council rejected an urgent procedure in early October, the government dropped its plan to finalise the purchase in 2026. A decision between the French and Israeli systems, along with any additional credit for Patriot, is now expected in early 2027.