Switzerland announced on Wednesday that it will study the possibility of purchasing air defense systems from suppliers other than the United States. This decision came after the US informed Switzerland of a new delay in the delivery of Patriot surface-to-air missiles due to the war in Iran.
Switzerland had ordered five Patriot missile defense systems in 2022, originally scheduled for delivery between 2026 and 2028. However, due to the war in Ukraine, this timeline has already been delayed by four to five years.
The Swiss government stated that Washington informed them that the ongoing conflict in Iran, which is involving US arsenals, would lead to further delays and increased costs. The government now expects a delay of five to seven years.
The government is now awaiting responses from five other suppliers of long-range air defense systems by the end of the month. These suppliers operate in Germany, France, Israel, and South Korea, with a preference for European-made weaponry.
The Federal Council will decide on the next steps in the coming months, and in April, Switzerland had announced that canceling the Patriot purchase was an option. The price for the five Patriot systems could double from 2.3 billion Swiss francs (2.51 billion euros) to 4.6 billion francs, as reported by the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger.
The Swiss procurement agency “armasuisse” and the Pentagon have not immediately responded to requests for comments. Last month, Reuters reported that the US had informed European counterparts of likely delays in arms deliveries due to the Iran conflict.
(Authored by Ariane Luthi and Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Rihab Latrache)
