Eurofighter officially offered to Switzerland
On 18 November 2020, Airbus submitted their official offer to the Swiss Federal Office of Armaments "Armasuisse" for the sale of Eurofighter aircraft to the Schweizer Luftwaffe.
The offer has been prepared by the company in support and coorditnation with the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the other Eurofighter nations (UK, Spain, Italy and Germany) industrial partners Leonardo and BAE Systems. The offer meets the requirements of the so-called Neues Kampfflugzeug (NKF) procurement process (new combat aircraft programme) implemented by Switzerland to replace its currently used F-5E/F and F/A-18C/D fleet.
Germany hopes that the Swiss government will choose the EF2000 over the F-35A, F/A-18E/F and Rafale so both countries can deepen their existing military partnership, particularly with regard to the joint training of the two air forces. With the Eurofighter. It is said that Switzerland will gain full autonomy in the use, maintenance and application of the data from its aircraft.
Currently, Eurofighter saw over 660 orders and the company claims that it fighter is by far the most widely used aircraft for securing airspace over Europe. Only a few days ago, Germany itself signed a new contract for the procurement of 38 EF2000s from the latest Tranche 4 and is offering Switzerland the opportunity to lay the foundations for even closer political, economic and security cooperation by procuring the same type of aircraft.
Michael Flügger, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Switzerland, said: "With this offer, we are inviting Switzerland as our neighbor and reliable partner in security policy and economic matters to protect its airspace with the Eurofighter and to close cooperation between our air forces. For Germany, Switzerland is not just a customer, but a strategic ally with whom we would like to further intensify our already close cooperation. The Eurofighter is the only platform jointly developed and operated by several European nations and would therefore be an ideal solution for Switzerland".
Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, said: "With the offer submitted today, we want to show that the Eurofighter is the best overall package for Switzerland. It is the most modern fighter aircraft currently built in Europe and meets all the requirements demanded by Switzerland. By providing construction data and other important information, Switzerland will be given complete and independent control of the Eurofighter, guaranteeing full transparency. With over 200 suppliers in the Confederation, Airbus is already a strong partner for Switzerland, and we look forward to expanding this cooperation even further".
Photo by Michiel van Herten (kindly provided via www.airhistory.net -> already over 300,000 aviation photos on this site!)