Payerne Air Base

Payerne Air Base is a Swiss Air Force facility located north of Payerne, situated between Lausanne and Bern. In 2010, the airfield was the site of the first 26-hour crewed solar-powered flight by Solar Impulse 1. The base subsequently served as the home for Solar Impulse 2, which conducted its inaugural flight from the facility in 2014.

The installation is the site of Swiss Air Force air policing and Quick Reaction Alert operations. It hosts squadrons of F/A-18 Hornets, specifically Fliegerstaffel 17 Falcons and Fliegerstaffel 18 Panthers. Also stationed at the base are the militia F-5E Tiger II squadron Fliegerstaffel 6 Ducks and the transport unit Lufttransportstaffel 1. Military air traffic control is provided by Skyguide National. The base houses the air investigation division of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board and serves as an alternate airfield for foreign government flights to Bern-Belp.

Infrastructure includes F/A-18 flight simulators and the F/A-18C Mock-up X-5098. The facility is used for Swiss Air Force ground crew education, including the training of aircraft mechanics and airport firefighters. The airfield is equipped with retractable arresting gear at both ends of the runway for F/A-18 and F-5 operations. A taxiway at hangar 5 connects the airfield to the A1 motorway, allowing the road to be utilized as a runway if required. Civilian infrastructure includes VIP handling facilities and heated hangars operated by Speedwings Business SA. The Clin d'Ailes Military Aviation Museum is located on the base and operates Hawker Hunter and Dassault Mirage IIIDS aircraft.