Switzerland's principled position in the military-political sphere is well known. This state does not participate in armed conflicts and does not join any military blocs. Nevertheless, this approach does not exclude the need to create and constantly modernize its own armed forces. Having studied the current state of affairs and the prospects for its development, the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Defense and Sports of Switzerland proposed to update one of the key components of the army - air defense.
In late March, Defense Minister Guy Parmelin announced plans to implement an ambitious program called Air2030. As follows from this designation, the program provides for an increase in the "air" potential of the army and should be implemented by the end of the next decade. The basic requirements for such a program and its results have already been formed. Over the next few years, the Department of Defense plans to determine how to build a new air defense system and select its main elements. In the future, administrative issues should be resolved, after which the procurement of a new material part will begin.
Unkind premises
It should be noted right away that the Air2030 program appeared for the simplest and most obvious reason: the current state of Swiss air defense does not suit the military, and in the future the situation will not improve on its own. In its current form, this system, related to the Air Force, does not meet the current requirements, and therefore it should be rebuilt. The architecture of such structures should undergo certain changes, but the main method of modernization will be the purchase of new models of aviation equipment and ground anti-aircraft systems.
According to the latest reference book The Military Balance 2018, the air defense of the Swiss army is not particularly powerful or numerous. The task of protecting the country from an air attack is assigned to six fighter squadrons. There are also several land batteries, assembled into a separate structure as part of the Air Force. Combat aviation and air defense ground elements in Switzerland have common problems. Their weapons and equipment are few in number, and they are also distinguished by their relatively large age and limited fighting qualities.
The Military Balance indicates that 25 F / A-18C fighter-bombers and 6 F / A-18D aircraft remain in the Air Force. Also in the units there were about four dozen light F-5E fighters, but about half of these aircraft have now been put into reserve.
The situation in ground-based air defense is no better. Air Force units have fifty towed Oerlikon GDF / Flab Kanone 63/90 anti-aircraft guns with paired 35-mm machine guns. There are the same number of British-made Rapier mobile anti-aircraft missile systems. The object and military air defense is in service and in storage several hundred portable anti-aircraft missile systems FIM-92 Stinger, purchased in the past from the United States.
Fighter F / A-18 of the Swiss Air Force
The Federal Department of Defense considers this situation unacceptable. According to military experts, the aircraft of the F / A-18 family no longer fully meet the requirements, and in the foreseeable future they will become physically obsolete. Older F-5Es are already outdated, and therefore only half of these aircraft remain in service, while others now serve as a source of spare parts. There are no other types of fighters in the troops. As a result, the Swiss Air Force can oppose a conventional enemy with no more than fifty fighters with limited combat capabilities.
The potential of land air defense is insufficient even for a small country. Barrel systems of the Oerlikon brand are capable of attacking enemy aircraft and helicopters only in the near zone. The firing range of Rapier missiles, in turn, does not exceed 10 km with a maximum height of no more than 5 km. Until the beginning of the 2000s, Switzerland operated the British BL-64 Bloodhound air defense systems with a firing range of up to 50 km. However, they were later removed from service and decommissioned. The echeloned air defense with several areas of responsibility actually ceased to exist. Only the closest echelon remained of it.
Against the background of the state of fighter aircraft and ground air defense, the situation with detection equipment looks quite acceptable. In 2004, the FLORAKO radar station was adopted, which was a further development of the previous FLORIDA complex. The large complex includes four separate radars that track their directions. If necessary, ground targets are supplemented with early warning aircraft. Working together, the various detection systems of the FLORAKO system are able to monitor the air situation within a radius of 470 km, finding targets and providing information about them to various consumers.
The state of the FLORAKO complex still suits the military, and in the foreseeable future it will be able to do without serious modernization. If it will be updated or replaced, it will be only after the completion of the planned Air2030 program.
Military desires
The Department of Defense is well aware of the problems of the existing air defense and even tried to take action. For example, several years ago it tried to acquire 22 Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters. The negotiations with the supplier ended successfully, but the contract was not approved by the public. In May 2014, a referendum was held, one of the topics of which was the purchase of aircraft. More than half of the votes were cast against such a contract.
Nevertheless, the need to update fighter aircraft and ground air defense did not disappear. To date, the Air2030 program has been drawn up, which is still a plan for the implementation of certain actions over the next few years. It is curious that so far only the deadlines for the completion of work have been firmly established. The cost of the program at the moment is determined only approximately. The volumes of purchases of new material, which will be selected on a competitive basis in the future, are also only advisory in nature.
In accordance with the "Air-2030" plan, the Air Force will have to receive about 40 modern fighter aircraft that meet the requirements of the present time and the near future. These aircraft will become the first echelon of air defense and will have to intercept air targets outside the areas of responsibility of ground complexes. The military wants fighter aircraft to be able to organize long-term shift duty, in which there will be at least four aircraft in the air at the same time.
F-5E Tiger II fighter - half of these vehicles can no longer continue service
The program provides for the deployment of new ground-based anti-aircraft systems with improved characteristics, which have significant advantages over those in service. The range of the new air defense systems should exceed 50 km. The height of the lesion is 12 km. With the help of land complexes, the army plans to protect more than 15 thousand square meters. km of the country's territory - about a third of the total area. Ground-based air defense will cover a number of important areas, while the protection of other areas will be assigned to fighters. The exact number of complexes to be purchased will be determined based on their technical characteristics and financial capabilities of the customer.
The air defense development program has already been worked out, but has not yet been accepted for implementation. However, according to official data, the first steps in this direction will be made in the very near future. This summer, the Department of Defense will launch several tenders, after which all companies wishing to receive a lucrative Swiss order will be able to submit their applications. The military will spend the next few years studying proposals and finding the most profitable ones.
According to the published plans, the search for new weapons and equipment will take several years, and in the early twenties the military department will make its decision. At about the same time, the fate of the program will be entrusted to citizens. At the next referendum, they will have to decide whether the country needs new aircraft and air defense systems. It is noted that citizens will only be asked about the need to purchase a new material part, while the choice of specific samples will remain with the specialists of the Federal Department of Defense.
Oerlikon GDF artillery mount with a pair of 35-mm guns
If the population approves the continuation of the work, then approximately by 2025 there will be contracts for the supply of serial samples of equipment of the required type. The army does not plan to purchase a large number of products, and therefore all deliveries are expected to be completed by 2030. In parallel, the decommissioning of aircraft and anti-aircraft systems that have exhausted their resource will be carried out.
By the standards of small Switzerland, the proposed program is quite large and ambitious. In addition, it will have a corresponding value. According to current estimates of the military, the purchase of aircraft and anti-aircraft systems will have to spend a total of about 8 billion francs (slightly less than 8, 35 billion US dollars). For comparison, the country's defense budget for the current year is only 4.8 billion francs. In 2019, the country will spend 200 million more on defense. Obviously, the procurement costs will be spread over several years, but even then the program may look too expensive.
As it became known a few days after the announcement of the details of the Air2030 project, the Department of Defense has already found an opportunity to pay for some purchases. They were allowed to spend 1, 3-1, 5 billion francs on the purchase of ground-based anti-aircraft weapons. However, this amount is supposed to be divided among several annual budgets.
Launcher SAM Rapier
The Swiss army has already warned potential suppliers of additional terms for future contracts. To get the best financial return, the customer plans to insist on the so-called. counter investments. Having paid a certain amount to a foreign state, the Swiss authorities want to get comparable money back, already as an investment in their economy.
Potential acquisitions
The competitive stage of the Air-2030 program will start only in a few months, but the possible circle of its participants has already been determined. The Swiss military department indicated which types of weapons and military equipment were considered when forming plans and requirements. As it turned out, significant manufacturers of aircraft and missile weapons can apply for contracts. It is noteworthy that there are no companies from Switzerland among the potential bidders.
As it turns out, the Department of Defense is still showing interest in the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet, rejected by voters several years ago. He also looked closely at the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Boeing F / A-18E / F Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. In fact, the specialists responsible for the formation of the new program have studied almost the entire range of proposals on the international multi-role fighter market. At the same time, for some unnamed reasons, Switzerland did not consider Russian-made equipment.
The situation is similar in the procurement of anti-aircraft systems. The American system Raytheon Patriot in the latest modification and the European Eurosam SAMP / T were studied. In addition, Switzerland has shown interest in the Kela David complex from the Israeli company Raphael. This piece of military equipment is said to be capable not only of attacking aircraft and helicopters, but also of fighting ballistic targets. The TLVS project, created as part of the US-European cooperation between Lockheed Martin and MBDA, was also considered, but this system was almost immediately rejected due to insufficient firing range.
One of the objects of the FLORAKO complex
In theory, any of the companies offering multi-role fighters or anti-aircraft missile systems on the international market can get a contract for the Swiss army. In practice, however, things will be a little different. Some of the possible offers have already been rejected by the potential customer. In addition, not all manufacturers may be interested in new competitions and submit their applications.
Finally, public opinion will play an important role in the fate of the Air2030 program in the future. A significant part of the issues affecting the security of the country is brought up for national discussion. The voices of citizens and the results of the planned referendum are the key factor influencing the real future of the most important program.
Plans and reality
The Swiss Federal Department of Defense, Civil Defense and Sports sees the current situation in the area of air defense and does not intend to leave it as it is. Over the past several years, attempts have been made to improve the situation by updating certain types of troops. Several years ago, there was an unsuccessful attempt to purchase new aircraft to replace obsolete ones. Now we are talking about a whole program providing for a parallel upgrade of aviation and ground anti-aircraft systems.
The proposed Air2030 program has several characteristic features. Thus, it provides for the replacement of obsolete material in a one-to-one ratio. At the same time, an almost simultaneous purchase of several dozen aircraft and a comparable number of land-based air defense systems is proposed. The means of detecting and controlling air defense will remain the same for the time being. Perhaps they will only be modernized after 2030.
One of the stations of the complex
The proposed plans look very complex, but quite realistic. By focusing efforts, Switzerland will be able to update its air defense and restore the required combat capabilities. Naturally, the purchase of 40 aircraft and a certain number of air defense systems is expected to cost the army a significant amount, but such spending will quickly justify itself. At the moment, fighter aircraft and air defense of the country cannot be called truly modern and developed. Because of this, the supply of any significant number of new samples can lead to a noticeable increase in defense capability.
However, the risks for the Air2030 program may lie not only in finance and technology. The fate of the ambitious project will be decided by the people through the traditional Swiss referendum. It is too early to say whether the Department of Defense will be able to convince the voters of the need for the planned purchases. The need to spend 8 billion francs (more than one and a half annual military budgets) can scare the voter into voting against the program. At the same time, the money will return along with investments, and the country will receive modern protection from a possible attack - such theses can make a citizen a supporter of the proposed plan.
However, it should be noted that the issues of agitation and propaganda necessary to obtain the approval of the population will be resolved only in the distant future. Now the Federal Department needs to complete preparations for future tenders and launch them. Then, for several years, the military will have to study real models of weapons and equipment, as well as determine their prospects in the context of the development of their own air defense. And only after that the question of procurement will be submitted to a referendum. It is possible that by this time the Air2030 program will be adjusted and redesigned, as a result of which it will become more beneficial for the army and more attractive to voters.
Despite its fundamental neutrality, Switzerland needs a sufficiently developed armed forces. The state of the air defense of the state, which is under the jurisdiction of the air force, has long been considered unsatisfactory. To solve this problem, a complex plan has been developed, which will take a long time to implement. If the Department of Defense can fulfill the new plans, the country will rebuild its defenses and be able to respond to a possible air attack.
