Swiss authorities are considering switching their air defense suppliers following a significant delay in the delivery of United States Patriot missile systems. The government had initially ordered five Patriot complexes from Washington in 2022 with an expected timeline for delivery between 2026 and 2028, but due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the U.S. has postponed the delivery by five to seven years.
In response, Switzerland has already requested information from five potential suppliers of similar air defense systems. While the government did not disclose the names of these companies, they are known to be manufacturers from Germany, France, Israel, and South Korea.
Additionally, on April 10, the United States signed a $4.7 billion contract with Lockheed Martin for producing ammunition for Patriot systems. The company has stated it is systematically expanding its production capacity.
Weapons expert Ivan Kirichevsky reported on March 17 that Ukraine may face an acute shortage of PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot air defense system within the next one to three months due to developments in the Middle East.
