"We have informed the Federal Council of the contract termination option and decided to make this public. We still assume we will receive these systems; however, we do not know when, and we are currently negotiating all possible options with the USA. This includes a complete termination of the contract," stated Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister at a press conference, while acknowledging that the precise conditions for cancellation remain unclear.
In July of last year, Washington decided to redirect Patriot systems originally intended for Switzerland to provide urgent support to Ukraine. According to earlier reports, delivery to Switzerland could be delayed by up to five years. However, even that timeframe is now in question, primarily due to a significant increase in demand for this air defense system following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
As evidence of the enormous demand, it is also noted that Poland on Tuesday rejected an informal U.S. request to send its Patriot systems to the Middle East.
Due to growing dissatisfaction, Switzerland publicly acknowledged that it had already suspended payments for the Patriot system in the fall of 2025. The Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) emphasizes that the American "shift in delivery priorities" "significantly alters the contractual basis" of the procurement.
The Swiss government states that the Patriot order is closely linked to other contracts under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, including an order for F-35A fighter jets worth 7.5 billion dollars, as well as the procurement of spare parts for existing F/A-18 aircraft. Bern claims that the United States has redirected Swiss funds earmarked for these aviation programs to finance Patriot production, directly jeopardizing the timely delivery of the aircraft.
"For the security and defense of Switzerland, it is crucial that the delivery of spare parts for the F/A-18 and the procurement of the F-35A are not jeopardized by decisions concerning the Patriot system," the DDPS statement emphasizes.
<b>Dizzying Cost Increase</b>
Switzerland signed a contract in 2022 to purchase five Patriot systems, with planned delivery between this year and 2028. Due to cost increases, the director of the Swiss Office for Armaments Procurement, Urs Loher, estimated that the total price could jump by 50 percent and reach 3 billion Swiss francs (3.8 billion dollars).
In the short term, the situation could worsen. If the liquidity of the Swiss FMS fund in the USA falls below a "critical threshold," projects could be suspended, and in the event of a further drop, completely terminated, warns official Bern. This could affect the entire Swiss portfolio of military procurements from the USA.
Recall that in March, Switzerland already reduced its F-35 aircraft order by six units (to a total of 30) due to a dispute with the U.S. government over price increases. Terminating the contract for these fighter jets would have catastrophic consequences for the country, considering that from 2032, when the old F/A-18 aircraft are retired from service, Switzerland would no longer have the capacity to guarantee the security of its airspace.