Final Call FlSt 17 - December 09th, 2025

With the new Fighter F-35 there is also a new organisation needed, Swiss Air Force will have only two squadrons in the future.

Fighter Squadron 11 needs its status for the Nato Tiger Association, so it is the Squadrons 17 and 18 wh will be transmorphed in the new Fighter Squadron 35 (equals 17+18).

The day of the dissolution began bright and sunny, until I arrived in Corcelles Village just near the Payerne Base. Fog, Fog and did I say it already ? Fog.

Lucky me I was able to see some movements , other photographers only heard them. Lucky us - the event will be repeated in better conditions next year - if possible.

Air2030 - Current figures on offset transactions as of end of March 2025

 

With the specified command of PATRIOT Air Defense Systems and LIGHTNING II Combat Aircraft, Switzerland requested some Offset transactions in the amount of CHF 5.27 billion. The first 8 Aircraft will be built by Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth (USA), the 28 others in Cameri (I). 4 aircrafts will be final assembled by RUAG in Emmen (project name RIGI).

Press release - Published on 25 April 2025

Current figures on offset transactions as of end of March 2025

Bern, 25.04.2025 — The Offset Register currently comprises seventeen offset obligations in the amount of CHF 5.27 billion, which must be awarded by foreign suppliers to Swiss companies. Of this, offset transactions in the amount of around CHF 2.69 billion have been carried out as at the end of March 2025.

The Register, which is updated on a quarterly basis, currently includes seventeen ongoing offset programmes with a total amount of CHF 5.27 billion. Of this, offset transactions for around CHF 2.69 billion have been carried out up to 31 March 2025. Since the last update of the Offset Register at the end of December 2024, no offset obligations have been terminated.

Project “Partially mobile passive sensors to expand the air picture”

The offset programme “Partially mobile passive sensors to expand the air picture” has been added. This comprises an offset obligation of CHF 10 million. These are mainly direct offsets, although indirect offsets may also be realised. On the part of Swiss industry, RUAG AG and CALAG AG will be involved in the form of direct offset transactions.

Programme Air2030

With the F-35A combat aircraft, the offset fulfilment is at around CHF 845 million at the end of March 2025, which corresponds to around 32% of the offset obligation of Lockheed Martin. With the long-range ground-based air defence system Patriot, offset transactions in the amount of around CHF 410 million have so far been carried out with Swiss companies, which corresponds to around 36% of the offset obligation of the US manufacturer Raytheon. Both offset obligations must be fulfilled by the end of 2034. By then, the following allocation keys must be complied with as far as possible between the regions: 65% of the recognised offset volume is attributable to German-speaking Switzerland, 30% to French-speaking Switzerland and 5% to Italian-speaking Switzerland. The fulfilment and the regional distribution will be continuously monitored by armasuisse and discussed with the supplier.

Banking Register

The Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse updated the Banking Register with the figures at the end of March 2025 in addition to the Offset Register. The Banking Register contains seven ongoing banking agreements in which publication is planned. Foreign providers, the contract duration and the current credit balance are listed in the Banking Register. In addition, the commissioned Swiss companies and the regional distribution are also shown. A banking agreement can be concluded upon the request of a foreign provider if a future offset obligation is likely. It enables foreign providers to fulfil up to 20% of a future offset obligation through indirect offset transactions in Switzerland in advance.

Source 

Lockheed-Martin F-35 and this 'kill-switch'

With the new political decision makers in the USA, an old legend came back into the mainstream media...

Is there really an kill-switch in the F-35 Lightning II Combat Aircraft ?

No, but there are really some points or switches someone can mis-use. If he is not afraid of political consequences.

A good article about those problems on The Aviationist

Other articles of interest - listed without system:

- Solving data sovereignty and classified information protection issues with the F-35 ALIS / ODIN system (December 09th, 2021)

- Mit dem Tarnkappenbomber F-35 zu einer geteilten Souveränität mit den USA (June 17th, 2020)

- Norway receives F-35 mission data file from USAF (November 15th, 2017)

- Even After F-35’s TR-3 Software is Approved, Frequent Patches May Be Needed (May 30th, 2024)

- Mission Data System Files for Core Allies: The Norwegian-Italian Reprogramming F-35 Lab (July 15th, 2019)

- Trouble with the F-35’s logistics information system (August 05th, 2020)

- Norwegian F-35 spy on its owner: send sensitive data back to U.S.A. (2019)

- F-35 Logistics System Faces Challenges (March, 2018)

Air2030: Procurement contract signed for the F-35A

Bern, 19.09.2022 - National Armaments Director Martin Sonderegger and the Swiss F-35A Program Manager Darko Savic signed the procurement contract on 19 September 2022 at armasuisse in Bern. With this, the procurement of 36 F-35A is contractually agreed. The aircraft will be delivered between 2027 and 2030 and will replace the current fleet of F/A-18 Hornets and F-5 Tigers.

The procurement for the purchase of the 36 F-35A amounts to 6,035 billion Swiss Francs and thus lies within the limits of the maximum financial volume approved by the Swiss electorate. The National Armaments Director Martin Sonderegger and the Program Manager for the procurement of the new combat aircraft, Darko Savic, have signed the contract. For their part, the US authorities have already signed the procurement contract.

In addition to the aircraft, the procurement cost of the F-35A also cover mission specific equipment, weapons and ammunition, a logistics package, mission planning systems, training systems and initial training. Furthermore, the cost for the integration into the Swiss command and control system, for support services by industry, a risk amount, the inflation in the country of manufacturer, the USA, as well as the VAT on imports are also included.

The prices are binding

Switzerland is procuring the aircraft via “Foreign Military Sales” (FMS) from the US government and at the same conditions that it applies to itself. The US government in turn transacts the procurement through its own contract – visible for the DDPS – with the manufacturer company Lockheed Martin. The prices and contractual conditions are defined bindingly in this contract and are also enforced by means of strict supervision.

In addition, Switzerland and the USA have negotiated a specific clause and signed a separate declaration which establishes the fixed price nature of the agreement.

Offset agreement concluded in parallel to the procurement contract

The head of Program Air2030, Peter Winter, and the F-35 Program Manager, Darko Savic, also signed the offset agreement with Lockheed Martin. This forms the basis for the US manufacturer to conduct offset businesses with the Swiss industry. In this manner, Swiss companies receive contracts with a volume of around 2.9 billion Swiss Francs.

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Address for enquiries

Kaj-Gunnar Sievert
Head of Communications armasuisse
+41 58 464 62 47

Public day Emmen, Presentation of the Lockheed-Martin F-35A

F-35A, MM7363 / 32-06 of 13° Gruppo

Italy Air Force was present with two of those Stealth Fighters in Emmen. The Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II is also the new Fighter for Switzerland.

Update 24th of March, 2023:

Air2030: Swiss F-35A from Italian production

Bern, 24.03.2022 - Switzerland is having at least 24 of a total of 36 F-35A fighter aircraft manufactured in Cameri, Italy. For a further four aircraft, clarifications are underway as to whether their final assembly can take place in Switzerland instead as part of an offset project. The first eight aircraft will be manufactured in the USA because they will be used there on site for the initial training of the Swiss pilots. The agreed price and delivery schedule will remain unchanged and the aircraft will be delivered from 2027.

Over the past few weeks, armasuisse has clarified, together with the US government and the Italian armaments company Leonardo, the possibility of having the majority of the future F-35A fleet of the Swiss Air Force produced in Cameri, Italy (see press release of 15 February 2022). armasuisse has now come to an agreement with the US government and determined that up to 28 of the altogether 36 aircraft will be manufactured in Italy by the company Leonardo. This means that at least 24 aircraft will be manufactured in Italy. For a further four aircraft, Lockheed Martin is currently clarifying, as manufacturer of the F-35A, whether they can be finally assembled in Switzerland as part of an offset project at RUAG; if this is not possible, they will also be manufactured in Cameri. Lockheed Martin will manufacture the first eight aircraft in its production plant in Fort Worth, Texas (USA), so that they can be used subsequently for the initial training of the Swiss pilots in the USA. The contractual agreements with the US government and thus both the price and the delivery schedule will remain unchanged.

The F-35 production line in Cameri

In Cameri, Italy maintains one of two production lines of the F-35 outside of the USA and the only one in Europe. Italy participated in the F-35 programme from the beginning. The Italian Air Force and the Italian Navy operate F-35A and F-35B aircraft. In addition, Leonardo also manufactures F-35A for the Dutch Air Force in Cameri .

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Address for enquiries

Kaj-Gunnar Sievert
Head of Communications armasuisse
+41 58 464 62 47

Swiss Army Chooses Lockheed Martin’s Indago 3 UAS For Tactical Reconnaissance And Surveillance

Together with the bigger UAS of the type Hermes 900 (named ADS15 by Swiss Air Force), Swiss Army receives new drones for tactical use too.  Lockheed Martin’s Indago 3 was chosen. Both systems should be compatible with the software chosen.

Source: Lockheed Martin