But the government has been dogged by allegations of questionable behaviour during the procurement process and faces yet another possible challenge by referendum.
In July, Swiss public broadcaster SRF revealed a failed last-ditch French effort to persuade Switzerland to buy its Rafale jets.
The parliamentary audit body said it was “worrying” that more weight was given to technical specifications than the political or economic consequences of rival bids. This made it difficult to assess which deal was in the best overall interests of the country.
Defence Minister Viola Amherd was also chided for delays in sending information to other ministers, which was deemed “inappropriate” by the audit committee. But the probe also found that no minister had broken the procurements law.
The report apportioned no blame to the Federal Armaments Office for any problems during the fighter fleet procurement.
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Swiss voters could have final say on buying new US fighter jets
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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
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France allegedly offered Switzerland a financial sweetener worth CHF3.5 billion to buy its Rafale fighter jets rather than US F-35A aircraft.
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Defence Minister Viola Amherd is standing by the government’s decision to buy F-35A jets despite pushback from a left-wing coalition.
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