Evolving drone warfare sparks re-think in Swiss army

It's estimated that Ukraine deploys around a million drones each year in the war with Russia. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

In Ukraine, the use of hundreds of thousands of cheap and easily accessible drones – modified and upgraded – is re-writing the rules of modern conflict. The Swiss army is assessing how to react.

“I’m inclined to use the term ‘disruption’,” says Thomas Rothacher, Deputy Head of Armaments at the Federal Office for Armaments (armasuisse). Rothacher is referring to the huge deployment of drones in the Ukraine war and how it is upending traditional defence procurement systems.

Of course, drones are nothing new, Rothacher says. The first tests with drone detection systems were already done in 2016, but the sheer volume and impact of the missions in Ukraine have still surprised experts.

It’s estimated that Ukraine modifies – and in some cases builds – and deploys around one million drones per year. In light of this dimension, armasuisse recently formed a task force to identify how the Swiss army can ensure that enough of its own drones are available in case of conflict.

The Swiss Drone and Robotics Centre (SDRC)

The SDRC, housed within the ministry of defence, supports the Swiss army and other authorities in dealing with issues of robotics in the security field. It is the Swiss centre of expertise for questions relating to drone and robot technology and its significance for national security.

This is a major challenge, as the short development cycles and rapid innovation spurts in the drone sector are diametrically opposed to traditional, rather sluggish procurement processes.

“Stocking lots of drones in big warehouses makes no sense,” says Rothacher. He sees the solution rather in building up a network of agile companies which can manufacture, quickly adapt, supplement and modify drones. Switzerland is very well equipped for this.

Drone capital

Compared to its population, hardly any other country has as much expertise in drone technology as Switzerland. Countless start-ups from federal technology institutes and universities are up and running, building highly specialised drones and sophisticated control software. Some of these objects are on display in the SDRC’s showroom in Thun, canton Bern.

Rothacher is convinced that the drone ecosystem must be kept in Switzerland, so that in case of a conflict, it would be possible to flexibly produce drones or reprogramme commercially available models to suit.

But a central problem remains: no drone flies without computer chips – and none of the many Swiss drone firms can produce such chips themselves. One solution would thus be a “pawn” strategy, which would involve exchanging a Swiss product for microchips, says Rothacher.

Yet even this strategy is no guarantee that the coveted electronic circuits will actually be available. As a result, authorities are considering stockpiling durable and freely programmable chips.

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Adapted from German by DeepL/dos