If the situation were not so serious, it might be laughable. Recently, the Swiss government implied that it had been misled across the Atlantic, and that a “fixed price” had indeed been set within the contract signed on September 19, 2022, for the purchase of 36 F-35 fighters. These aircraft − which are considered excessively high-performance for the simple air policing role they will fill in the neutral Alpine country − are set to be gradually delivered to the Swiss Air Force between 2027 and 2030, though they are already in service with other European NATO air forces.
A fixed price − really? In Washington, the Trump administration, which had so far remained tight-lipped on the matter, has now referred to a “misunderstanding.” But on June 25 in Bern, Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister was forced to admit, after months of rumors, that the purchase of the American jets could cost Swiss taxpayers more than 1 billion additional Swiss francs (about €1.07 billion) – a tacit admission that this fixed price only ever existed in the minds of those determined to push through the deal. In reality, some observers believe the overrun could be double that amount.
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