Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss state-owned small arms producer sold to Italy

Box with ammo
Ammotech says it generates two thirds of its sales in the civil sector. Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella

Switzerland’s state-owned Ruag International company has sold its small-caliber ammunition division to the Italian firearm manufacturer, Beretta.

All the 2,700 employees of Ammotech in Switzerland and ten other countries, including Germany and Sweden, the United States and Britain, would be taken over by the new Italian owner, Ruag International saidExternal link on Wednesday.

The main Swiss production site in the town of Thun would be maintained for at least five years, Ruag International added.

The sale to Beretta doesn’t come as a surprise according to experts.

In 2018, the Swiss government decided to split into two separate companies as part of a divestment strategy.

The Ruag defence entity produces for the several armies and police forces, while the international business arm is active in aerospace engineering.

Ammotech says it generates two thirds of its sales in the civil sector.

The sale has prompted an outcry of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. It criticised the sale as inacceptable as it undermined Switzerland’s security.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR