The European plane manufacturer Airbus and Germany seek to sell Eurofighter aircraft to Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Office of Armaments received an official offer prepared by other Eurofighter nations and industrial partners which should modernize Switzerland’s current fleet and replace the older F-5 and F/A-18 fighter jets.
Airbus and Germany seek to deepen the existing military partnership with Switzerland air force by offering the purchase of the Eurofighter. The fighter jet should gain full autonomy in use as well as maintenance and application of data from the aircraft to the country, announced Airbus in a press release on November 18, 2020.
Earlier in November 2020, Germany signed an agreement for acquiring 38 Eurofighters from the latest Tranche 4. With an aim to strengthen the political, economic, and security partnership among the two countries, Germany offered Switzerland to purchase the same type of fighter jet. In the press release, Michael Flugger, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Switzerland, said that Switzerland could become a strategic ally with whom the country would like to further intensify the already close partnership.
“With this offer, we are inviting Switzerland as our neighbor and reliable partner in security policy and economic matters to protect its airspace with the Eurofighter and to close cooperation between our air forces. The Eurofighter is the only platform jointly developed and operated by several European nations and would therefore be an ideal solution for Switzerland”, said Flugger.
Dirk Hoke, the CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, explained that the Eurofighter could be „the best overall package“ for Switzerland as the jet was recognized as the most modern fighter jet currently built in Europe.
“[The Eurofighter] meets all the requirements demanded by Switzerland. By providing construction data and other important information, Switzerland will be given complete and independent control of the Eurofighter, guaranteeing full transparency. With over 200 suppliers in the Confederation, Airbus is already a strong partner for Switzerland, and we look forward to expanding this cooperation even further”, announced the CEO of Airbus.
Airbus outlined that being chosen by military forces of such European countries as Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy, the Eurofighter is the most widely used fighter jet. Airbus announced that it currently has up to 600 orders of the fighter jet.