Latest news with #Armasuisse
Mint
4 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Swiss Arms Chief Seeks Closer European Ties for Defense Race
(Bloomberg) -- Switzerland's most senior arms procurement official is seeking closer collaboration with European neighbors, as global demand for weapons surges and the nation's own defense industry falters. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and concern over US President Donald Trump's commitment to NATO's mutual defense clause is forcing Europe to rearm, pushing weapons firms to their capacity limits. That's making it more challenging for small countries like Switzerland to place orders, said Urs Loher, director of Armasuisse, the government agency responsible for Swiss army procurement. To give it more negotiating heft, Armasuisse is in talks with Germany to jointly procure helmets, while the agency is also considering expanding cooperation in electronic warfare with foreign partners. 'We'll have to increasingly get involved in such collaboration projects to ensure that the small quantities we need arrive within an appropriate time period at somewhat reasonable prices,' Loher said in an interview in Bern. Artillery ammunition prices, for example, have quadrupled in the past three years, with waiting times of five to six years, he said. Switzerland's dilemma is partly a legacy of a post-Cold War peace dividend that allowed the neutral nation — surrounded almost entirely by NATO members — to spend less than 1% of gross domestic product on defense. At the same time, its neutrality means it has imposed strict export rules for arms, blocking shipments of Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine. 'We are paying the price of over 30 years of peace dividend,' Loher said. 'Switzerland suffered large collateral damage from the blocked re-export requests of weapons to Ukraine. Our European partners lost trust and it will take time to rebuild that.' For years, the Swiss army and government agencies have been dealing with outdated weapon systems, particularly in air defense, and delayed purchasing programs, including for Israeli drones. At current levels, Swiss air defense systems can cover just 8% of the country, or four out of the country's 10 biggest urban areas, Loher said. On Thursday, parliament's lower house approved 1.7 billion Swiss francs ($2.1 billion) of procurement projects, but rejected a proposal for an additional 1 billion francs for anti-aircraft ammunition. New Defense Minister Martin Pfister said there was 'currently no financial scope' to raise the army budget. NATO member states, in the meantime, adopted the alliance's most ambitious military ramp-up since the Cold War on Thursday, closing in on an agreement to ratchet up spending at a summit later this month. It includes a five-fold increase in ground-based air-defense systems capabilities, Bloomberg has reported. The challenge of securing reliable arms supplies comes as Switzerland's owns defense industry is being squeezed by the nation's neutral stance. In particular, blocking arms deliveries to Ukraine has meant that other European governments are increasingly cutting Swiss products out of their arms-supply chains as they rush to bolster their defenses. That's weakening Switzerland's bargaining position in times of crisis, according to Loher, 58, who served as chief executive officer at the Swiss subsidiaries of Rheinmetall AG and Thales SA before taking over the helm of Armasuisse in 2023. 'If we no longer have our own arms industry we will be totally dependent on foreign countries,' he said. 'That would make it more difficult to have an army as independent and autonomous as possible.' Such fears have prompted the Swiss government to ask parliament to reinstate its power to approve arms re-exports. A commission in parliament's upper house suggested exempting 25 countries including most NATO members from having to obtain permission for re-exports. Without that flexibility, the Swiss arms industry is rapidly facing an existential threat. 'Whether we want a defense industry here in Switzerland is ultimately a political discussion — politics set the framework,' Loher said. 'I would simply like to point out that the longer the discussion goes on, the more it becomes redundant.' (Updates with defense minister's comment in eighth paragraph) More stories like this are available on
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Swiss Arms Chief Seeks Closer European Ties for Defense Race
Switzerland's most senior arms procurement official is seeking closer collaboration with European neighbors, as global demand for weapons surges and the nation's own defense industry falters. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and concern over US President Donald Trump's commitment to NATO's mutual defense clause is forcing Europe to rearm, pushing weapons firms to their capacity limits. That's making it more challenging for small countries like Switzerland to place orders, said Urs Loher, director of Armasuisse, the government agency responsible for Swiss army procurement.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Switzerland to buy 4 or 5 IRIS-T air-defense systems from Diehl
PARIS — Switzerland plans to buy four or five IRIS-T SLM medium-range air-defense systems from Germany's Diehl Defence, with negotiations in an advanced phase, the country's defense procurement office, Armasuisse, said on Friday. The federal office expects to sign the contract for the ground-to-air missile batteries in the third quarter of 2025, with procurement taking place as part of the European Sky Shield Initiative, Armasuisse said in a statement. Swiss lawmakers last year approved a credit guarantee of 660 million Swiss francs ($809 million) for medium-range air defense in the 2024 armament program. Switzerland joins countries across Europe rushing to bolster their air defenses, as Russia's daily missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities have raised awareness of the need to protect civilian and military targets against aerial threats. 'The future ground-based air defense will contribute to the impact of maintaining air sovereignty and air defense as well as protecting against attacks with long-range weapons,' Armasuisse said. The system will be part of Switzerland's integrated air defense, the office said. Armasuisse tested Hensoldt's TRML-4D radar for the new medium-range air-defense system between March 31 and April 11, taking a further step in the procurement process, the office said. The properties of the radar were tested together with Diehl and Hensoldt in the specific Swiss topography, with the radar used to detect aircraft including the PC-12, F/A-18 and helicopters, Armasuisse said. Switzerland is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, with mountains covering 70% of the territory and around a quarter of the surface area made up of peaks over 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) above sea level. The tests also investigated the frequency compatibility with civilian systems such as weather radar. The country in October joined the European Sky Shield Initiative as the program's 15th member, with an initial focus on medium-range air defense, while saying it expected opportunities for cooperation on shorter and longer-range defenses in the future. Other IRIS-T SLM users include Germany and Ukraine, while Latvia ordered the system in November 2023 and Slovenia and Bulgaria placed orders last year. A system typically includes a fire-control unit, a radar unit and multiple missile launchers. 'The renewal will close an existing gap in capability in the defense of stand-off weapons, to combat approaching targets at a medium distance and thus expand long-range ground-based air defense with the Patriot system,' Armasuisse said. 'Systems currently in use will soon reach the end of their useful life.' Separately, Diehl said it signed a partnership agreement with Denmark's MDSI to expand the payload integration of IRIS-T short-range missiles on fighter aircraft. The missile is included in the standard armament of the Eurofighter and Saab's Gripen, and can also be used on the F-16, Tornado, EF-18, KF-21 and F-5E, according to Diehl. 'By partnering with MDSI, we're enabling air forces to leverage the full potential of our missile system across platforms previously deemed as of limited compatibility,' said Martin Walzer, senior manager for integration programs at Diehl.
