Swiss May Reduce F-35 Purchase as US Squeezes Government
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Switzerland may cut its order of 36 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 stealth fighters after failing to push through a fixed-price deal with the US government, driving up the cost by as much as 1.3 billion Swiss francs ($1.6 billion).
Negotiations between Swiss and US officials, including a phone call of Defense Minister Martin Pfister and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, failed to sway the US to consider a fixed price, according to the government. Cost overruns will be somewhere between 650 million and 1.3 billion francs, the government said, another setback for Switzerland after the US slapped surprisingly high tariffs on the country.
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It lets militaries operate together more easily, something that could be key in a conflict on the continent. The Swiss government noted that its desire for the jet is driven by how widespread F-35 usage is across Europe. But Europe's view of the US has changed. When asked on Wednesday if the US is seen as a reliable partner for future arms purchases, Pfister responded by saying that they are not reliable when it comes to tariffs. The depth of that concern is unclear.
