The Swiss government had decided at the end of June 2021 to acquire 36 US combat aircraft F-35. Since then, the United States has been claiming up to an additional $ 1.3 billion. A parliamentary committee opened an investigation on Tuesday.
A Swiss parliamentary committee announced on Tuesday, July 1, the opening of an investigation into the management of the purchase of the 36 US Fights F-35 by the government, for which the United States claimed up to an additional $ 1.3 billion.
The Swiss government had indicated on June 25 that the United States claimed a higher amount – from $ 650 million to $ 1.3 billion – due to additional costs linked to inflation. “The National Council Management Commission has decided to investigate the authorities of the Authorities of the Fixed Price of the F-35A by the acquisition of this device”she said in a press release.
She decided “To seek to determine whether, in retrospect, shortcomings could be noted in the way in which the Federal Council (Editor’s note) managed contract negotiations”. The latter also wishes to examine whether the Swiss government and the Defense Ministry “Have communicated appropriately with regard to parliamentary and public high surveillance”.
“The agreed firm price was based on a misunderstanding”
According to Bern, Switzerland and the United States had agreed contractually from a firm price in 2022, of just over 6 billion francs (6.4 billion euros current) for these American lockheed Martin combat aircraft. The price had “Been officially confirmed, both by the expert reports of several lawyers’ studies and by the American Embassy in Bern”The Swiss Defense Ministry said last week. But at the end of February, the American Cooperation Agency for Defense and Security (DSCA) “Informed Switzerland in writing that the agreed firm price was based, according to her, on a misunderstanding”.
Deliveries must start in 2027. The government had decided at the end of June 2021 to acquire the F-35, considered one of the most modern and sophisticated combat aircraft in the world and which already equips or will equip many European countries. In September 2020, the Swiss narrowly approved an envelope of 6 billion francs for the country to have a new fleet, the devices currently in service -f/A 18 and F5- arriving at the end of life at the end of the decade.
If the Swiss government claims that the plane was by far the best, at the lowest price of all the jets in the running for the contract (Rafale, F/A-18 and Eurofighter), the countless technical difficulties and budgetary exceeding of the F-35 program in the United States had already prompted the National Council management commission to investigate the choice of the aircraft in 2022.
