Loher said the payments are intended to ensure that the joint US funding account for Swiss defence procurement remains sufficiently funded. He made the comments in an interview published on Sunday in NZZ am Sonntag.
The account is used to finance Swiss procurement projects in the United States, including 30 F-35A aircraft, Patriot air defence systems and spare parts for the F/A-18. Loher said suspending payments could have halted spare parts deliveries for the Swiss Army’s existing F/A-18 jets or put the F-35 programme at risk.
“The risk was too great for us.” Assembly of the first F-35A stealth jet for Switzerland began in May 2026.
Deliveries of the F-35A aircraft are due to take place between 2027 and 2030. The advance payment forms part of Switzerland’s wider effort to maintain funding flows for major US defence acquisitions.
Switzerland has also already paid nearly CHF700 million for the five Patriot batteries ordered in 2022. Delivery had been due to begin this year, but has been delayed by several years.
Loher said the contract allows the United States to reset its priorities in exceptional circumstances. He added that he expects Washington to honour its commitments.
Some components of the air defence system could be brought into service in Switzerland sooner than planned for training purposes. Loher identified these components as the launchers, radars and command unit.
He said the Patriot batteries the United States had been due to deliver to Germany in 2027 or 2028 were originally intended for Switzerland. He added that they do not match the German army’s required configuration, which could allow some components to be diverted to Switzerland.
“We’ll take whatever we can get.” The possible early delivery of selected components would give Switzerland training capacity while it waits for the delayed Patriot batteries.
Source: swissinfo.ch
