Swiss army gears up for future threats⠀

At the top of the Swiss Armed Forces' shopping list are new fighter jets, since the old ones are about to reach the end of their lifespan. Ground-to-air missiles and ground troops are also to be modernised in order to better cope with the hybrid threats of the future.

Swiss voters will only be able to have a say on the fighter jets, on which the government wants to spend no more than CHF6 billion ($5.95 billion). Spending less would jeopardise the minimum necessary fleet size, according to defence minister Viola Amherd, while spending more would leave too little financial space for the ground-based air defence system. 

Five fighter jet candidates are currently being tested in Switzerland. How much the individual aircraft will cost the Swiss Army will not be known until the second round of bidding in mid-2020.

(SRF/swissinfo.ch)