Price in Switzerland have taken a little hit : 1 billion CHF more than announced :
Nachdem die US-Regierung den Beschaffungsvertrag unterschreiben hat erklärte das Schweizer Verteidigungsministerium heute die auf den neuesten Stand gebrachten Preisberechnungen für den Kauf von 36 Lockheed-Martin F-35A.
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F-35A Price Update After the U.S. government signed the procurement contract, the Swiss Ministry of Defense today announced updated price calculations for the purchase of 36 Lockheed-Martin F-35As. Karl Schwarz 11/26/2021 The Swiss government can only sign the "letters of offer and acceptance" (LOA) once the deal is processed in parliament and likely after a referendum. It is expected that the acquisition of the F-35 and the Patriot anti-flight system will be addressed in the 2022 Armed Forces Message. Since the Federal Council (government) decision of June 30, 2021, armasuisse has "cleaned up" the contracts with the US government. Assuming an exchange rate of CHF 0.95 to the US dollar, this translates into commitment credits of CHF 6.035 billion for combat aircraft and CHF 1.987 billion for ground-based air defense. In June, the F-35A was still talking about CHF 5.068 billion, but by the time final bids were submitted in February 2021. At Patriot, the DDPS (Ministry of Defense) had already raised the "procurement costs including VAT. at the time of payment" communicated with 1.970 billion francs. Even with the figures now presented, according to the DDPS, the limit is still well within the limits, because with the current inflation forecast until 2031, the limit would not be 6 billion francs but 6.314 billion francs. The financial volume of 6 billion francs approved by the voters on September 27, 2020 with the programming resolution was based on the national consumer price index of January 2018. 6.035 billion francs for aircraft, weapons, logistics and training For the sum of 6.035 billion Swiss francs, Switzerland pays:
3.828 billion Swiss francs for the 36 F-35As
1.927 billion Swiss francs for the logistics package with ground equipment, replacement equipment, documentation, training and technical assistance for the manufacturer during the introduction
107 million Swiss francs for the ammunition. This includes an apparently very small number of air-to-air guided missiles with infrared seeker heads (the existing AMRAAMs with radar will continue to be used) and "a small number of precision munitions for certification and training in the air-to-ground role.
86 million Swiss francs for training systems (including four networked simulators in Payerne) and for mission planning and evaluation
82 million Swiss francs for technical risks: the F-35A is purchased in the same configuration as it is used in other countries, and the manufacturer uses the same standards and processes as those used to produce more than 3,000 aircraft. "This means that a low risk surcharge can be expected compared to other procurement projects," according to the DDPS. 5 million francs for assumed inflation. "A lower figure can also be used for inflation, since it is only the proportion of direct orders in Switzerland, i.e. to RUAG," it says.
Prices are in U.S. dollars until delivery, with the aircraft now expected to arrive between mid-2027 and 2031. In June, 2025 was mentioned, but the delay of a referendum until the contract is signed was probably not taken into account. An exchange rate of 0.95 francs to the U.S. dollar was used to calculate the commitment credits. This assumption has remained unchanged since the June 2021 evaluation report. Depending on developments, the Federal Council may adopt a different course for the Armed Forces Message 2022. The Federal Council usually covers the exchange rate after parliament has passed a resolution. Only then can the fiscal administration buy foreign currency in advance and limit the exchange rate risk.
The total cost of the new fighter jet is expected to remain at 15.5 billion francs. As before, the U.S. government guarantees the cost of flight hours for the first 10 years. You will have to pay additional costs, which is not expected, since the hourly flight costs of the F-35 will tend to decrease, so armasuisse. From about 2040, the company's own forecasts were used. armasuisse also stated that the new figures will not change the large gap between the F-35 and the competition. The cost/benefit evaluation has always been calculated taking inflation into account. In addition, the F-35A still requires 20% fewer flight hours (5,000 per year for the fleet) than the Eurofighter, F/A-18E/F or Rafale. And even with the same number of flight hours, the F-35 would be cheaper, according to the Friday morning press conference.
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