The vote is planned for Sept. 27 and will decide whether to approve the purchase without knowing who will win the contract.
According to a poll for broadcaster SRF showed on Aug. 20, 2020, Swiss voters are set to approve a 6 billion Swiss franc ($6.6 billion) purchase of new fighter aircraft in a referendum in September.
As reported by Reuters, the survey by gfs.bern found 58% of respondents favoured the government’s plan while 39% opposed it and 3% had no opinion. The vote is planned for Sept. 27 and will decide whether to approve the purchase without knowing who will win the contract.
The poll of 29,450 eligible voters had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
In June 2019 the Swiss Air Force ended the evaluation for the five types of combat aircraft shortlisted (Eurofighter Typhoon, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Dassault Rafale, the Lockheed Martin F-35A and the Saab Gripen E) under the Air2030 program to replace its ageing fleet of F-5 fighter jets, and older model F/A-18C/D fighters.
As we have previously reported Saab has withdrawn from Air2030 program just days before the company’s Gripen E was due to arrive in the country for flight evaluations.
In a terse communique issued Jun. 13, 2019 Saab said it had been “formally recommended” by the Swiss national armaments agency, Armasuisse, not to participate in the flight trials.
Hence the remaining lineup of contenders are the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Airbus Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale and the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II.
New jets are to be delivered by 2025.
Switzerland had initially chosen the Saab Gripen E fighter but had to cancel that order after a 2014 referendum rejected the choice.
Photo credit: Swiss Air Force
