Switzerland Approves 2011 Armament Programme

Swiss MoD plans to procure AIM-120C-7 missiles worth $138 million.

09:51 GMT, February 22, 2011 defpro.com By Nicolas von Kospoth, Managing Editor

Federal Council Passes Four Defence Modernisation Programmes Worth $448 Million

Last week, the Swiss Federal Council (Bundesrat) approved the 2011 Armament Programme, comprising four individual defence modernisation programmes valued at a total of CHF 433 million ($447.8 million; €331.9 million). The comprehensive programme includes the procurement of state-of-the-art NBC reconnaissance vehicles, the replacement of the “Feste Brücke 69” bridge system, the further modernisation of the vehicle fleet, as well as the partial replacement of AIM-120B AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. According to the Swiss Ministry of Defence, the 2011 Armament Programme (RP 11) seeks to improve the Swiss Armed Forces’ capabilities and operational safety by replacing ageing systems. The agency further explains that the approved programme will provide about 500 jobs during the next three and a half years. In particular, it supports replacement and modernisation projects that have already been approved and initiated in recent years, such as the procurement of 12 NBC reconnaissance vehicles, approved in 2008, as well as the further modernisation of the defence vehicle fleet, which was initiated in 2010. The most expensive element of the RP 11 programme is the procurement of Raytheon-built AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM missiles to be issued to the fleet of Swiss Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft. Planned to replace the older AIM-120B versions of this missile, the purchase of the new-generation air-to-air missiles had been announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in late December 2010 (see http://goo.gl/ZXK4C). The DSCA then announced a package, including up to 150 AIM-120C-7 missiles, as well as associated equipment and services, worth approximately $358 million.