Switzerland, known for its neutrality, is pushing forward with plans to enhance its air defense systems, focusing on medium-range ground-to-air capabilities. A .2 billion deal has been confirmed with the U.S for the purchase of five Patriot firing units and GEM-T type missiles. This move is a part of a larger plan to swiftly address its capacity deficits in medium-range ground-to-air defense.
Patriot Missiles and More
Further investments are on the cards in the “DSA MP” program, with an additional CHF 660 million (€675 million) slated. The Federal Office of Armament Armasuisse has identified three potential suppliers for this future defense system. These are Dielh Defence from Germany with their IRIS-T SLM, the tandem of Kongsberg and Raytheon (NASAMS), and MBDA France.
Tender Details
The manufacturers have been invited to propose a system as per the tender dossier. The system should prove to be a “successfully used” capability. Other selection criteria also take into account the manufacturer's country. This includes the potential for cooperation in areas such as instruction, training, and maintenance. The involvement of the Swiss industry is deemed significant.
The manufacturers are also required to propose “offset deals”. They must provide “indicative prices as binding starting point for detailed negotiations”. With responses expected by Armasuisse by mid-July, the selected system is due to be announced in Q3 2024.
Switzerland, NATO and ESSI
Switzerland is also part of Germany's anti-missile shield project within NATO, known as the ESSI – European Sky Shield Initiative. This makes Diehl Defence a strong candidate. The ESSI project aims to consolidate air defense system purchases amongst participating countries. The selected systems include IRIS-T SLM, American Patriot, and Israeli Arrow 3.
However, participation in ESSI does not predetermine the choice of the system. It also doesn't affect national competencies in acquisition. The final choice of the system will be based on the evaluation of different medium-range DSA systems.