Edith Hejbergncreased global demand is driving costs higher than Swiss planners anticipated.
This adds financial pressure to an already complicated procurement process.
Switzerland chose the American Patriot system as the backbone of its future air defense.
Now that plan is under strain.
Delivery delays and rising costs have forced Bern to rethink its options.
What was meant to secure the country’s skies by 2028 suddenly looks uncertain.
Deliveries postponed without a clear date
According to the NZZ portal, Robert Scheidegger of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS) confirmed that Patriot deliveries have been postponed indefinitely.
That alone is enough to derail the original schedule.
Without firm timelines, completing five batteries by 2028 is no longer realistic.
The uncertainty has triggered serious discussions about alternatives.
Missile prices surge beyond expectations
The problem is not just timing.
Prices for the PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T missiles are expected to rise significantly.
Increased global demand is driving costs higher than Swiss planners anticipated.
This adds financial pressure to an already complicated procurement process.
An exit clause offers flexibility
Switzerland paid a 650 million Swiss franc deposit under the 2022 contract with the United States.
But the agreement includes an exit clause.
That provision now gives Bern room to maneuver.
If delays and price hikes persist, Switzerland is not locked in without options.
The 2028 deadline slips out of reach
The original goal was clear: five fully operational Patriot batteries by 2028.
With deliveries now postponed indefinitely, that timeline has effectively collapsed.
Planning, training, and integration all depend on predictable supply.
Without that certainty, the entire air defense roadmap must be reassessed.
France steps in with a bold proposal
France has reportedly presented what insiders describe as a highly attractive offer.
Jérôme Dufour, Secretary General of Eurosam, told the Swiss that an order placed now could see the first SAMP/T NG batteries delivered by 2029.
In practical terms, that timeline may rival or even improve on the current Patriot outlook.
The offer signals clear intent from Paris.
Paris ready to sacrifice its own schedule
France appears willing to go further.
To speed up delivery, it could transfer some of the eight SAMP/T NG batteries ordered for its own forces in 2023.
That would temporarily slow France’s modernization program.
But it would give Switzerland faster access to the system.
Not the first time France has done this
Such flexibility would not be unprecedented.
Some Rafale aircraft delivered to Greece were taken directly from the French Air Force, with losses made up in later orders.
The same happened with a FREMM frigate originally built for France but delivered to Morocco.
Paris has shown before that it can prioritize partners when needed.
SAMP/T NG: Europe’s answer to Patriot
The SAMP/T NG is the latest evolution of the medium-range air and missile defense system developed by the Eurosam consortium.
Eurosam brings together the Italian and French branches of MBDA and the French company Thales.
The system is designed to counter both aircraft and ballistic missile threats.
For Switzerland, it represents a fully European alternative.
Aster 30 B1NT: built for modern threats
The newest version uses Aster 30 missiles in the B1NT variant.
These are expected to engage Iskander-M ballistic missiles at ranges of around 30–40 kilometers.
Against aircraft, the range is expected to exceed 150 kilometers.
That marks a clear improvement over older variants, which reached just over 120 kilometers.
How the missiles engage their targets
The Aster 30 is a two-stage missile equipped with an active radar seeker.
This makes it a “fire-and-forget” weapon.
Unlike the PAC-2 GEM-T, it does not require continuous guidance from the launcher.
It uses a directional fragmentation warhead, which is less sophisticated than the kinetic warhead of the PAC-3 but significantly cheaper.
Launchers, radar, and system structure
Each battery includes vertical launchers carrying eight missiles apiece.
Up to six launchers can be paired with a command vehicle and radar.
The new radar is designed to detect targets at distances of up to 400 kilometers.
It can spot objects with a reflective surface of just 0.01 square meters.
360-degree coverage and multi-target tracking
The radar is expected to guide up to 30 missiles at once.
It also provides 360-degree detection coverage.
That full circular awareness is something the current Patriot configuration does not yet achieve.
For Switzerland, these features could make the European system an increasingly compelling alternative.
