The Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse) rubber stamped the purchase of 36 jets on Monday after years of national debate on the issue.
“In addition to the aircraft, the procurement cost of the F-35As also covers mission specific equipment, weapons and ammunition, a logistics package, mission planning systems, training systems and initial training,” the government said in a press releaseExternal link, adding that the final bill accounted for inflation in the US and will not rise.
A separate deal was signed with aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin to offset part of the CHF6 billion ($6.2 billion) costs with a series of contracts for Swiss companies amounting to CHF2.9 billion.
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
Poll suggests Donald Trump has many fans in Switzerland
This content was published on
Around a quarter of Swiss citizens would vote for Donald Trump if they had the chance, according to a recent poll. This percentage is higher than in many other European countries.
Swiss court rejects special assistance for student with disabilities
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Court has rejected an application for special assistance from a student with disabilities at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
Police arrest 15 drug dealers in Verbier in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
Swiss and French police have arrested 15 suspected drug dealers operating in the mountain resort of Verbier in southern Switzerland.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
Swiss scientists to use AI for improved weather and climate forecasts
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss and the Swiss Data Science Center have signed a four-year agreement to make greater use of AI in meteorology and climatology going forward.
This content was published on
Prices of owner-occupied homes rose in the third quarter of 2024 by 0.5%, with inflation affecting both apartments and single-family houses, says the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
The honey harvest is projected to be lower than usual this year, as Swiss beekeepers report harvesting an average of just 16kg of honey per bee colony.
More young refugees in Switzerland following vocational training
This content was published on
More than half of young refugees and temporarily admitted persons between the ages of 16 and 25 are now in training. This is significantly more than five years ago.
Swiss parliament approves purchase of F-35 jets from US
This content was published on
The decision clears the path for Bern to sign the purchase contract, despite a pending initiative on the issue of Swiss fighter jets.
Swiss voters could have final say on buying new US fighter jets
This content was published on
A left-wing coalition has gathered enough signatures to challenge the government’s plan to buy F-35A fighter jets from the US.
Swiss fighter jet document reveals secret French tax offer
This content was published on
France allegedly offered Switzerland a financial sweetener worth CHF3.5 billion to buy its Rafale fighter jets rather than US F-35A aircraft.
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.