SAMP/T air defense missile systems may enter service in Switzerland as early as 2029, becoming an alternative to American Patriot systems.
France came up with this initiative after Switzerland acknowledged that delivery times from the US had become unpredictable, according to NZZ.
The Swiss Ministry of Defense emphasizes that it currently has no reliable information about the terms and dates of arrival of the American systems.
The country has been without modern long-range ground coverage since 1999, when the British Bloodhound systems were decommissioned.
Although Swiss air defense during the Cold War was considered one of the most robust in Europe, today these capabilities have been lost, and plans to restore them are in jeopardy.
Defense Ministry spokesman Robert Scheidegger notes that the Swiss side is in an information vacuum regarding contracts with Washington. The US does not provide guarantees that orders will be fulfilled within the previously specified deadlines, which effectively paralyzes the country’s defense planning.
In this context, the French proposal regarding SAMP/T is seen as a real chance to close the “hole” in the sky much faster than the expected American deliveries.
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