US delays delivery of Patriot missiles to Switzerland
The situation shows that "Switzerland needs an independent and robust defence industry again, and to diversify procurement among manufacturers and countries", Armasuisse wrote.
Keystone/ Alexandra Wey
The US will not be supplying new Patriot missiles to Switzerland as soon as planned, with Ukraine being prioritised for fresh deliveries by Washington. It is unclear how long Switzerland will have to wait.
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Keystone-SDA
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Поставка систем ПВО «Пэтриот» в Швейцарию отложена
Deliveries of the type of missile in question to Switzerland will be delayed due to a decision by the US government and will probably not be able to take place as planned, the Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) said on Tuesday in response to an enquiry from Keystone-SDA. The tabloid Blick initially reported on this on Tuesday.
However, no statement can be made at this time regarding the exact impact on deliveries destined for Switzerland. According to Armasuisse, the type of Patriot ground-based air defence system affected is the PAC3 MSE guided missile version, which was approved by parliament in the 2023 Armed Forces Dispatch, and not the PAC2 GEM-T version procured in the 2022 Armed Forces Dispatch.
The introduction date for the additional missile type stated in the 2023 army dispatch was 2030 and 2031, and the procurement was planned accordingly. The situation shows that “Switzerland needs an independent and robust defence industry again, and to diversify procurement among manufacturers and countries”, Armasuisse continued.
According to the contracts signed with Washington in autumn, deviations from the agreed conditions can be made if there are unusual or compelling reasons and if US national security concerns are affected, as Blick reported.
Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/dos
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