- Delays in deliveries push Switzerland to review the purchase of the Patriot.
- The Swiss suspend payments to the US Patriot system amid delays.
- The United States delays the delivery of the Patriot to Switzerland for aid to Ukraine.
The Swiss government is considering abandoning the agreed purchase of the Patriot air defense system from the United States amid serious delivery delays, Defense Minister Martin Pfister said on Wednesday.
“Cancellation is always an option in case of delay,” he told the ATS-Keystone news agency.
Earlier Wednesday, the Ministry of Defense announced that it would continue to suspend system payments “until the United States has firmly announced new delivery dates and payment terms.”
Switzerland, which is not part of NATO, had ordered five Patriot systems in 2022, with delivery scheduled to begin this year and finish in 2028.
But last July, the government said the U.S. Department of Defense had informed it that deliveries to Switzerland would be delayed as Washington worked to provide more support to Ukraine.
Switzerland first suspended system payments last fall.
“We are still operating under the assumption that we will take delivery, but we don’t know when,” Pfister said, adding that the government is considering several options.
“A possible cancellation is one of them, but we don’t know the conditions,” he said.
Unauthorized payment
Last week, the Swiss government said the United States had circumvented a freeze on its payments for the Patriot system by tapping Swiss payments into the same fund, but earmarked for the purchase of a fleet of F-35A fighter jets.
This maneuver was authorized, according to what the head of the Swiss arms department, Urs Loher, told the Swiss media.
However, “if the fund’s liquidity falls below a critical threshold, projects may be suspended or even abandoned in the event of a new drop,” the Swiss Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This could affect not only the acquisition of the Patriot system but also the entire Swiss portfolio within the framework of the (foreign military sales) program with the United States,” he warned.
The ministry noted that Washington had said it would inform Switzerland in the coming weeks about the next steps in the operation, delivery schedules and the costs and consequences of a possible disruption.
According to their statement, a recommendation on this matter will be presented to the government “by the end of June 2026.”
In early March, Bern announced its intention to examine the acquisition of an additional long-range surface-to-air missile system, preferably manufactured in Europe, to complement the Patriot system.
Last month, the government also said it now wanted to buy only 30 F-35A fighter jets, instead of the 36 ordered, after Washington last year raised the price, citing high inflation and rising raw material and energy prices.
