Forgoing fighter jets would save Switzerland a lot of money; the F-35A costs approximately $80 million up front and another $45,000 an hour to fly over the lifetime of the aircraft. ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss voters are set to approve a 6 billion Swiss franc ($6.6 billion) purchase of new fighter jets in a referendum next month, a poll for broadcaster SRF showed on Thursday. Critics, however, argued fighter jets aren’t necessary for a small country in the heart of Europe, and that they won’t do much good in the face of threats like cyber-attacks or natural catastrophes. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she considered the outcome “a positive signal” for deepening ties. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Iran Spots American Missile Submarine Underwater, How the Capitol Can Stop Another Storming, After Controlling a U-2, This AI Has a New Mission, New Legislation Calls for Bigfoot Hunting Season, America Has Secretly Built, Flown New Fighter Jet. With 61.7% of voters rejecting the measure, the public demonstrated that it wants “solid and sustainable bilateral relations with our most important trading partner,” Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said. Let's nerd out over them together. They are due to be taken out of service by around 2030. During the Cold War, it was conceivable that Soviet and Warsaw Pact armies might overrun neighboring Austria and push on through Switzerland. The Swiss fighter had only a single fin and rudder, however, and no less than four engines. Roughly a quarter of Switzerland’s 8.5 million inhabitants aren’t citizens. ), For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com, Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Puerto Rico's new governor seeks 'equality' in funding for embattled island, The Senate is stalled as Schumer and McConnell work out power sharing. In addition, the Swiss Air Force will use the new fighter aircraft for air policing around the clock, and, in case of armed attack, defend the air space for a limited period of time and support the ground forces. The F/A-18 fighter jets… Switzerland is currently looking to procure new fighter jets and has a budget of CHF6 billion. A proposal to introduce new limits on immigration from the European Union, however, was defeated by a comfortable margin. Several other measures were also on Sunday’s ballot, including one granting new fathers 14 days of paid leave. "From now on, the air police service will be on call 24 hours a day to guarantee the security and … Still, not having fighters for emergencies will erode the country’s national sovereignty, and it’s hard to see how a country that relies on neighbors to police its airspace can be truly neutral. Swiss voters are about to decide the fate of their neutral country's fighters. Turned Bombers Into Bombs, Secret New Fighter Jet Uses F1-Style Engineering, Watch the Osprey’s Grandpa Fly from a Carrier, Explorer Finds Crashed CIA Aircraft Near Area 51, The Skyrocketing Cost of Airpower in One Tweet, What It Was Like to Fly the SR-71 Blackbird. Switzerland hasn’t fought a war since before the invention of the airplane. How we test gear. Today, Switzerland is at least three countries away from the nearest potentially hostile power, Russia. This Arbalete ("Crossbow") was powered by four tiny, 242 lb-st Turboméca turbojets mounted in vertically stacked pairs … Starting on December 31, two F-18 fighter jets will be operational 24/7 to protect the airspace over the small, landlocked country, the armed forces said in a statement. Starting on December 31, two F-18 fighter jets will be operational 24/7 to protect the airspace over the small, landlocked country, the armed forces said in a statement. N-20.10 Aiguillon Switzerland: … The Swiss Air Force operates a total of 34 single-seat F/A-18C and two-seat F/A-18D Hornet fighters. The air force is currently evaluating four offers from … Wafer-thin majority approves new fighter jets The air force flirted with a second defeat in six years before scraping over the line. So do we. Navy Finally Creating America's Next Fighter Jet, Swiss voters will soon decide if their country will replace its fleet of. The Air Force wants to buy new fighters, with candidates including the Airbus Eurofighter, French Rafale, F/A-18 Super Hornet, and F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. Reuters quotes a member of Switzerland’s parliament: Switzerland is neighbors with friendly countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and Austria, all of which have fleets of fighter jets on their own. The anti-military group GSoA said it would be “highly questionable” for the government to choose a U.S. manufacturer. The country will vote on the issue on September 27. Fighter jets: A ‘yes’ by the thinnest of margins On the ballot Sunday was a referendum on dishing out six billion Swiss francs ($6.6 billion, 5.6 billion euros) for new fighter jets, which squeezed through with a mere 50.1 percent of votes in favour. (Bloomberg) -- Neutral Switzerland voted in favor of buying new fighter jets for as much as 6 billion francs ($6.5 billion) by a razor-thin margin, while citizens rejected a “worse than Brexit” curb on immigration. The FFA P-16 was a Swiss prototype ground attack jet fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA).