The Swiss army is already preparing for air defense systems from the USA. But the USA informed EU states about further delays – and also Switzerland.
April 23, 2026, 05:28April 23, 2026, 05:28
othmar von matt and léonie hagen
A close core of the future Swiss trainers for the five Patriot long-range air defense systems were already in the USA – and completed Patriot courses there. The army confirmed this to CH Media.
Patriot systems are particularly in demand in the Gulf States.Image: keystone
Work on the weapons range in Emmen is also in full swing. A new education and training center for the Patriot systems is scheduled to be there by the end of 2026. For this purpose, the transmission troops’ buildings on the Tiergarten area were demolished. The new center will be built in their place. It costs 42.16 million francs.
The preparatory work for the use of the five Patriot systems, which Switzerland ordered from the USA in 2022 for two billion francs, is now in full swing.
However, they have a big catch. At the moment, no one knows whether and by when the USA will deliver the systems to Switzerland. The original plan was for this to happen between 2026 and 2028. The preparatory work would have been perfect.
Today they seem strange. In the summer of 2025, the USA informed Switzerland that deliveries of the systems were delayed. Priority would be given to countries that supported Ukraine. At that time there was talk of a delay of “four to five years”, said armaments chief Urs Loher in an interview with CH Media at the end of March. That would have meant: The first Patriot systems will be delivered from 2031 or 2032.
The Iran war is massively exacerbating the situation
In the meantime, the starting situation for Switzerland has deteriorated massively. On February 28, the United States began its war against Iran. Patriot air defense systems play a central role in this.
Firstly, militarily: Iran attacked countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain with ballistic missiles and drones. They were all desperately looking for Patriot air defense systems, which proved to be central.
Secondly, Patriot systems are also strategically central: with the Iran war, they have become the ultimate global enpass product. This in turn influences supply chains and military planning.
Switzerland is also feeling this. By the end of March, she had no longer received any information from the USA about when she would receive Patriot deliveries. Armaments chief Loher confirmed this. “We currently have no further information,” he said in the interview at the time.
“But you can assume that deliveries will not get any faster.”
In Swiss army circles it is now assumed that they will not arrive until 2034 at the earliest.
A Reuters investigation is causing unrest in Europe
A Reuters investigation from April 16 made the situation even worse. The international news agency reported that US officials had bilaterally informed various European countries that contracted arms deliveries would be delayed because of the Iran war. The affected countries also include Scandinavian and Baltic states. Estonia and Lithuania confirmed to Reuters that they had been informed by the US.
European government officials privately complained to the agency that the delays were putting their countries in a difficult position. Frustration can be felt in Europe’s capitals, wrote Reuters. More and more politicians are therefore relying on weapon systems that are manufactured in Europe.
The question is whether Switzerland was among the countries that were informed by US officials in early April. The Federal Armaments Office Armasuisse confirms this. “We have been informed by the USA that there are delays with the PAC-2 GEM-T guided missiles for Patriot,” says communications chief Kaj-Gunnar Sievert. Production of individual parts for the F-35 has begun. Nothing here indicates any delays. What is clear, however, is that the overall situation has “certainly not improved”.
The army reacts
The difficult situation with the USA means that the Swiss Army is adapting its preparatory work for the Patriot systems to the realities. Because of the delivery delays, the army is currently foregoing “intensive further training for the designated training personnel,” writes the media office.
In addition, as part of the ongoing project work, it is being examined how the completed training center should be used. Interim use is conceivable. There are currently no simulators at the center. The army writes that it is currently analyzing when the right time is to install it. (aargauerzeitung.ch)