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Swiss Air2030 drama builds as US packages tip budget scales

1st October 2020 - 16:00 GMT | by Tim Martin in London

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Two proposed US government packages exceed a CFH6 billion ($6.5 billion) budget limit for Switzerland’s Air2030 fighter acquisition.

The US State Department has cleared the way for Lockheed Martin F-35A and Boeing F/A-18E/F Block III Super Hornet aircraft to be bought by Bern, in the event that one or other is selected as a successor to replace legacy Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II and Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fleets.

An estimated cost of $7.5 billion is, however, attached to FMS approval for 40 Super Hornets (36 F/A-18E and four F/A-18F platforms) and ‘related equipment’ such as engines, weapons and sensors, while a

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