Although the exact number and final price of the F-35s remain unclear following a prolonged and contested procurement process, the need for new facilities is undisputed. Hangars and simulator rooms for pilot training and mission planning must be completed at the airfields in Payerne, Meiringen and Emmen before the jets arrive.
Auditors found that construction at Payerne began in spring 2025, six months later than planned, and that funds allocated for the project have already been exhausted. Work at Meiringen and Emmen has been delayed by at least a year, with the audit report criticising those responsible for underestimating the time required.
Defence procurement agency Armasuisse sought to reassure the public, with Marcel Adam, head of its real estate competence unit, stating that construction and aircraft commissioning were being aligned. “I am confident that if the construction continues as planned, we will be able to hand everything over on time,” Adam told Swiss public broadcaster SRF, adding, “Today, there are enough hangar spaces available in Switzerland for the future F-35s.”
Renovation costs are now expected to reach CHF200 million, well above the CHF120 million loan approved by parliament in 2022, a figure set before Switzerland had decided to procure the F-35 and without clear knowledge of infrastructure needs. Auditors criticised the original estimate as unsuitable, while Armasuisse said future processes would change and confirmed that a supplementary loan request would be submitted this year.
Adam said the revised budget would cover only essential work, noting, “Once we carry out the conversion work, flight operations can resume as required by the army.” He added that additional, non-essential projects, including maintenance of existing buildings and new infrastructure not required for initial operations, could be implemented later, with auditors estimating these would add a further CHF50 million and criticising a lack of transparency over total construction costs linked to the F-35 programme.
Source: swissinfo.ch.
