F-35 takes Swiss spoils to maintain remarkable European sales record
Switzerland is set to become the fifteenth country to operate the F-35 (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
In what amounted to a fairly one-sided contest, the F-35A has emerged as the winner of Switzerland’s Air2030 procurement, with Bern opting to buy 36 of the fifth-generation jets.
Switzerland has picked Lockheed Martin’s F-35A for its Air2030 competition, agreeing to procure 36 of the aircraft in the process.
The decision, announced by the Swiss Federal Council on June 30 was made mainly on the basis that the fighter jet and selection of Raytheon’s Patriot SAM system represented ‘the highest overall benefit at the lowest overall cost,’ and stands as a resounding endorsement of US defence manufacturing capabilities in Europe.
In the end, the F-35A was judged to be far and away the best aircraft on offer most notably because total procurement and operational costs amount to approximately
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