Switzerland Shortlists Barak MX and SAMP/T NG for Second Long-Range Air Defense System, Keeps Patriot

Switzerland's Federal Council on October 28 tasked the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) with continuing its evaluation of the Israeli Barak MX and the French SAMP/T NG as candidates for a second long-range ground-based air defense system, while confirming that the country will keep its planned acquisition of the Patriot system "for security reasons." The stated purpose of the second system is to enlarge the area that can be protected and to reduce dependence on a single supplier or a single supply chain.

The decision narrows a field that had drawn offers from four manufacturers in France, Israel and South Korea, according to the Federal Council's statement issued in Bern. The South Korean bid was eliminated, Defense News reported on October 29, leaving Israel's Barak MX against the French SAMP/T NG. The DDPS will now weigh foreign-policy and economic-policy aspects alongside the technical, military, armament-policy and security-policy criteria applied so far, the Federal Council said.

The government framed the requirement against a deteriorating geopolitical situation. Long-range systems with an adequate reserve of munitions are needed to counter long-range attacks, including ballistic missiles, the Federal Council said.

The second system does not replace Patriot. The Federal Council said the United States had decided to give priority to states that supported Ukraine by supplying their own systems, and that this affects the timing of Swiss deliveries. Abandoning Patriot without a replacement system "is not an option," it said. On June 24 the Federal Council had already mandated the DDPS to continue the Patriot project while limiting delays and extra costs, and talks with the United States continue.

Funding runs through Parliament. In its winter session, Parliament examines the army financing message, which proposes an additional CHF 24 billion for the army, including CHF 6 billion for an additional long-range ground-based air defense system and part of the additional Patriot costs, the Federal Council said.

The two candidates rest on different missile families. The SAMP/T NG fires the Aster 15/30 family, for which GlobalMilitary.net lists 11 operators, combining naval and land-based users and including France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. The Barak MX is the system built around the Barak missile family; GlobalMilitary.net's records list six operators of the Barak 8: Israel, India, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Cyprus and Morocco. Barak MX featured in Greece's €3.4 billion Israeli air defense package in September. Patriot, for its part, has 21 operators in GlobalMilitary.net's database, Switzerland among them as a buyer; a reference page sets out how the Aster and Patriot missiles compare.

The long-range system is one tier of a broader plan: Switzerland had earlier selected the IRIS-T SLM for medium-range air defense, Defense News noted. The country ranks 64th in GlobalMilitary.net's ATLAS military power ranking.

Once the evaluation is complete and Parliament has decided on financing, expected in early 2027, the Federal Council will decide on a possible supplementary Patriot credit and on the additional system.