The first two of six new drones from Israel have been handed over to the Swiss Air Force – years later than planned. The remaining four drones of the new reconnaissance drone system (ADS 15) are scheduled to arrive by the end of the year.
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القوات الجوية السويسرية تتلقى أول طائرات بدون طيار إسرائيلية
Material for the first two drones has also been handed over to the air force, namely ground control stations, sensors, as well as logistics and training material, the Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) said in a statementExternal link on Monday. The military aviation authority had issued the necessary certification.
Parliament approved a credit of CHF250 million ($270 million) for the procurement in 2015. The Israeli origin of the aircraft was criticised at the time. The predecessor Ranger drones were taken out of service in 2019.
The new drones should have been in the air since 2019. However, technical problems caused their delay. Armasuisse therefore imposed contractual penalties on the Israeli manufacturer, Elbit Systems, and negotiated additional services, such as certification of the de-icing system.
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On Monday, the Senate voted for the purchase of six unarmed Hermes 900 drones (30 votes for, 12 against), which followed earlier approval by the House of Representatives. Campaigners had criticised the deal with Israeli company Elbit Systems, urging Switzerland not to invest in Israel’s military complex due to its “systematic human rights abuses” against…
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