Overview
- The Federal Council said keeping the original 36-jet plan is not financially possible under the CHF 6 billion approved in a 2020 referendum.
- The cabinet directed the defense ministry to buy the highest possible number of F-35As within that ceiling, with the revised quantity still unspecified.
- Bern and Washington continue to disagree over whether the deal was fixed-price, with the U.S. pointing to inflation and raw-material costs as drivers of higher totals.
- Switzerland still expects the first F-35A deliveries in 2027, with early aircraft produced in the United States and later jets assembled in Cameri, Italy.
- Officials left open the option to revisit future fighter requirements as security conditions evolve, while a smaller fleet could affect long-term air policing and readiness.