The Swiss government has signed a CHF300 million ($331 million) contract for the purchase of new long-range missiles for the Patriot ground-to-air defence system.
The purchase was announced by the Swiss army’s procurement agency armasuisse on Tuesday. The agreement had been approved by parliament in its 2023 communication on the armed forces. The PAC-3 MSE guided missiles from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin will be sent to Switzerland in 2028 and 2029.
For the Patriot missile system, which is scheduled to be delivered from 2026 onwards, the procurement of further PAC-2 GEM-T type ordnance, which was established last year, is already in progress.
The PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment Enhancement), armasuisse explains in a statement, is the newest Patriot missile type and is mainly used for defence against approaching short-range warheads. In contrast, the PAC-2 GEM-T (Guidance Enhanced Missile, Tactical) is primarily intended for defence against aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.
The new weapons, as well as the new F-35A fighter aircraft, are part of the Air2030 programme, which also includes the Radar and C2Air projects. The latter two concern the gradual replacement and renewal of the Swiss Air Force’s command and control system.
The contract was concluded with the US government because Switzerland purchases the guided missiles through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
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