Swiss approves a USD6.49 billion ceiling funding package for procurement of new fighter jets.

Swiss voters approved a CHF6 billion ($6.49 billion) ceiling funding package for the procurement of new fighter jets for the Swiss Air Force. The referendum was won with a 50.1% majority. The margin between the sides were fewer than 9,000 votes.

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F/A-18C Hornet of the Swiss Air Force (Picture source: Wikimedia/Konstantin von Wedelstaedt)

The contenders of the Air 2030 fighter replacement program are Eurofighter Typhoon (Airbus, Germany), Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (USA), Dassault Rafale (France) and Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (USA). Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd said the government would now proceed with the evaluation of the four contenders with the contract expected to be finalized by 2021.

The new jets will replace Swiss Air Force’s aging F/A-18C/D Hornet and the F-5E/F Tiger II fighter aircraft fleet by 2030. The aircraft would replace Switzerland's aging fleet of 30 F/A-18 Hornets, which will go out of service in 2030.