“Who wants to attack Switzerland?” said Green Party politician Fabian Fivaz. Jun 17, 2020 Voters will have the final say on a CHF6 billion ($6.1 billion) package to buy new fighter jets for the Swiss airforce. Then, in 2022, the government intends to ask parliament for formal approval of both fighter jets as well as the air defense system that is finally set to roll out between 2025 and 2030. The plans may yet... SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR. This time, the proponents of the deal closed ranks and ran a more disciplined campaign, even exhorting aircraft manufacturers to keep quiet and refrain from intervening in the public debate prior to the vote. In a report two weeks ago, GfS Bern said that while in 2014 the issue of new fighters was seen as less pressing, its supporters had this time argued that rejection would leave the country unable to defend its skies by 2030. The FFA P-16 was a Swiss prototype ground attack jet fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA). Projections over the past weeks had shown clear acceptance for the government-backed plan, which will see the army replace its ageing fleet of F-5 Tigers and F/A-18 jets by 2030. However, they shied away from painting their cause as anti-army generally. This Sunday, the Swiss electorate voted to purchase new fighter aircraft by the end of the decade. Swiss voters hold the keys to new fighter jet fleet The fleet of F/A18 Hornet aircraft have been in use for the Swiss air force since 1997. Amherd said this will not derail plans to finalise the contract by 2021. Whether the schedule for a comprehensive modernization of the Swiss Armed Forces will prove feasible under such circumstances remains to be seen. While the vote will ask voters whether or not they approve of this ⦠In June 2019 the Swiss Air Force ended the evaluation for the five types of combat aircraft shortlisted (Eurofighter Typhoon, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Dassault Rafale, the Lockheed Martin F-35A and the Saab Gripen E) under the Air2030 program to replace its ageing fleet of F-5 fighter jets, and ⦠The jets, acquired in the 1990s, will age out by 2030. The move comes a day after Airbus and Germany placed their bid offering Eurofighter aircraft to the Swiss Government. In principle, voters will have no further say on the type of new planes to be bought. The Air Force wants to buy new fighters, with candidates including the Airbus Eurofighter, French Rafale, F/A-18 Super Hornet, and F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. What are your thoughts on the outcome? Please use a modern web browser for a better experience. “Europe and the world have become more unstable,” it wrote in the official vote booklet. The modernization programs follow the assumption that the defense budget will grow substantially over the next decade. Airbus Offered Eurofighter Typhoon Jets to Swiss Air Force for $8.1 billion November 20, 2020 GDC Air Platform , Europe 0 Airbus and the Federal Republic of Germany submitted their official offer to the Swiss Federal Office of Armaments armasuisse for the sale of Eurofighter aircraft to Switzerland seeking 36 combat aircraft and ground-based air ⦠© Copyright 2020 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. In addition, by the middle of 1958, influenced by NATO concepts, the LVK had redefined the Swiss doctrine of air power from close air support to counter-air ⦠The past five years, which saw armed conflicts on Europeâs periphery, refugee crises, and terrorist attacks across the continent, may contribute to increased levels of appreciation for the Swiss armyâs necessity. At the same time, the collapse of the Iron Curtain also coincided with a heretofore unheard of scrutiny toward the Swiss army within parts of the population. Even though poll ratings had predicted a conclusive result, the referendum wound up hanging in the balance. On Sunday, Swiss citizens voted on five different issues. The cost of the plan and the current “pandemic effect” were also decisive, he said. Other opposition figures were both enthused and disappointed by the nearness of the loss on Sunday, which Green Party president Regula Rytz said was a “sensational” victory in itself. On September 27, 2020, Switzerland held a referendum on whether it should acquire or not new fighter jets. Without new fighters, the army – an important institution of non-NATO member Switzerland – would be unable to fulfil its mandate of protecting the country, said these supporters, who included the government and a majority of parliament. What will happen next? What has changed in the past six years? One of the particularities of Switzerland is the broad say its citizens have in political issuesâeven in matters of national security and defense. Among the questions, one will concern the acquisition of new fighter jets for the Swiss Air Force. Today, the closest thing Dublin operates to a fighter plane is the Swiss-built Pilatus PC-9 trainer aircraft. The majority (50.2%) of Swiss voters gave the go-ahead to the purchase of new combat aircraft on Sept. ⦠For its part, the government defended the price tag by raising the so-called offset agreement – a compensatory system that will be into the deal, obliging the company involved to place orders with Swiss firms worth 60% of the contract value. Paternity leave and tax breaks Your web browser is outdated. On 24 August 2012, the Swedish agency for defense and export security, FXM, and its Swiss counterpart, Armasuisse, signed a framework agreement to purchase 22 Gripen E aircraft. The fleet of several hundred fighter aircraft fielded throughout the Cold War has continuously shrunk to initially thirty-four, now thirty, F/A-18 Hornets (and some forty-seven F-5 Tigers remaining for training purposes) that are set to be phased out by the end of the decade. After the Swiss government cancelled the FFA N-20 and an order for 100 FFA P-16s, the Swiss aviation industry and the ETH Zurich made a final attempt to build their own Swiss fighter aircraft. He covers direct democracy and politics and is usually in Bern. Switzerland is to hold a national referendum on its Air2030 requirement to procure new combat aircraft on 27 September. In the end, 50.1% of the roughly three million voters who cast ballots approved the CHF6 billion ($6.49 billion) funding packet after a surprising afternoon that left pollsters unable to call the result until the last minute. The vote is a landmark decision for the future of the Swiss Air Force, which had been characterized mostly by reorganization and downsizing over the last three decades. This content was published on Aug 23, 2020 Voters in 2014 rejected a 3.1 billion-franc ($3.2 billion) order for Saab AB Gripen fighter jets. This content was published on Aug 7, 2020 In addition, the Swiss Air Force will use the new fighter aircraft for air policing around the clock, and, in case of armed attack, defend the air space for a limited period of time and support the ground forces. Switzerland in July 2018 began a new effort to buy a replacement fighter. Immediately after the vote, opponents raised the possibility of a popular initiative against the purchase, particularly if the Swiss Government were to select a U.S. aircraft type. There is a long road ahead until the air force will receive its new aircraft and new obstacles might emerge. In total, 110 examples were delivered to Switzerland, comprising ⦠The vote clearly divided the country in ⦠The Swiss Air Force operates a total of 34 single-seat F/A-18C and two-seat F/A-18D Hornet fighters. The Swiss parliament has approved the purchase of a new fleet of fighter jets to the tune of some CHF6 billion ($6.1 billion). The Swiss government plans to announce its decision next summer (along with the selection of a new ground-based air defense system for 2 billion CHF, which forms the second leg of the defense ministryâs Air2030 program but was excluded from the referendum). In the 1960s and 1970s, modern military aircraft ⦠Switzerland has been trying to buy new warplanes for years. As for the price tag, they also claimed that when maintenance, upgrades, and ancillary costs are factored in, the jets would cost CHF24 billion rather than CHF6 billion. This content was published on Sep 2, 2020 Aug 23, 2020 Wafer-thin majority approves new fighter jets The air force flirted with a second defeat in six years before scraping over the line. The Air2030 project seeks to procure a new multi-role fighter to replace the Swiss Air Forceâs ageing Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet and Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II fleets. Just a few days before the vote, the Swiss parliament agreed on an increase from 20 billion CHF for the four-year-period 2017-2020 up to 21.1 billion CHF for 2021-2024. As the national vote on a new fighter jet purchase approaches, Captain Maurice “Moe” Mattle of the Swiss air force tells us about his job. Five fighter types are being pitted against each to compete for a lucrative order for 30-40 aircraft for the Swiss Air Force. In practice, Switzerland has few enemies and has fought no wars in centuries. They also benefited from the fact that Federal Councilor Viola Amherd, who had become the countryâs first female defense minister in 2019, enjoys a broader appeal than her predecessors had. This was the second set of nationwide votes this year, rather than the third, as a ballot in May was cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis. A new poll reveals that 58% of voters are in favor of procurement. 8,670 â that is how many voters it took to tilt the balance in favor of the new procurement. Sep 27, 2020 The plans called for a small fighter plane similar in class to the F-5E, which the Swiss Air Force later ordered.. | English Department. At the same time, however, he praised Amherd for the manner of her campaign. Michel Wyss is a Scientific Assistant for Strategic Studies at the Military Academy at ETH Zurich, a lecturer at the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences at ETH Zurich, and PhD Candidate at the Institute for History, Leiden University. The survey carried out by gfs.bern found that 39% opposed the acquisition and 3% had no opinion. While the Federal Council will consult the official evaluation reports prior to its decision, political calculations based on the manufacturersâ countries of origin will likely play an important role, too. As opposed to the narrow rejection in 2014 of a CHF3 billion purchase of Swedish Gripen jets, this time polls had indicated a relatively clear success with 56-58% support. This Sunday, the Swiss electorate voted to purchase new fighter aircraft by the end of the decade. This content was published on September 27, 2020 - 19:30, This content was published on Sep 27, 2020, This content was published on Aug 7, 2020, This content was published on Sep 2, 2020, This content was published on Aug 23, 2020, This content was published on Dec 19, 2019, Referendum commitee against fighter jet purchase (German, French, Italian), Federal Statistics Office – Votes September 27, 2020. Such was the case in May 2014 when voters derailed the governmentâs plan to replace the aging Tiger fleet with twenty-two Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripen aircraft. On the other hand, it is not clear how Air2030 might affect the modernization of the Swiss armyâs ground forces, projected to cost another 7 billion CHF. Blog Before Flight Staff January 29, 2019 0 New fighter jet for Switzerland. The jets, acquired in the 1990s, will age out by 2030. Anti-immigration initiative: 38.3% Yes 61.7% No, Credit for fighter jets: 50.2% Yes 49.8% No, Paternity leave: 60.3% Yes 39.7% No, Tax break childcare: 36.8% Yes 63.2% No, Reform hunting law: 48.1% Yes 51.9% No. At the same time, politicians have already cautioned that the defense budget might be subject to austerity measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Swiss Air Force operates a total of 34 single-seat F/A-18C and two-seat F/A-18D Hornet fighters. A right-wing proposal to scrap a Swiss immigration accord with the EU has been clearly rejected at the ballot box. The Swiss Air Force announced on Friday it has accepted five bids for a new fighter aircraft as part of Switzerlandâs air power modernization effort named Air2030. The US Government and Lockheed Martin have officially proposed the sale of the F-35 aircraft to Switzerland to replace its ageing fighter jets through the New Fighter Aircraft (NFA) competition. The Swiss Air Forceâs F-5E/F fleet is the older of the two platforms, having served in its ranks since 1978. 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