Switzerland now expects to purchase 30 Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jets, six fewer than originally planned, as rising costs force the government to scale back the order.
The revised figure provides the first clear indication of the final fleet size after Switzerland announced in December 2025 that it would reduce its planned purchase of 36 aircraft because the program was exceeding the CHF 6 billion ($6.8 billion) spending ceiling approved by voters in a 2020 referendum.
Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister said on March 6, 2026, that the government was requesting an additional credit worth 394 million Swiss francs ($505 million) from parliament. With that funding, Switzerland now expects to be able to acquire the 30 F-35A jets.
The F-35A was selected by Switzerland in 2021 to replace the country’s aging fleet of F/A-18 Hornets and Northrop F-5 Tigers, with the deal drawing both political scrutiny at home and close attention abroad. At the time, Swiss officials presented the aircraft as the most cost-effective choice among several competitors, including Dassault’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet.
The latest adjustment is likely to intensify debate over the long-term affordability of the program, especially given how politically sensitive the fighter replacement choice has been in Switzerland.
The government’s announcement also highlighted wider pressure on Swiss air defense planning.
Pfister said the United States is now expected to delay delivery of Patriot air defense systems to Switzerland by four to five years, after Bern was told previously that the systems would be pushed back to support Ukraine.
That delay is now prompting the Swiss government to consider buying a second ground-based air defense system to help fill the gap. According to the government, preference would be given to a European-made system.
The combination of a reduced F-35 order and a prolonged Patriot delay underscores the procurement challenges facing smaller European defense buyers as demand for weapons and air defense systems remains elevated.
It also raises questions about how Switzerland will balance capability, cost, and timing as it modernizes its armed forces against a backdrop of growing security pressure across Europe.
For Lockheed Martin, the Swiss reduction is modest in the context of the global F-35 program, which continues to attract strong international demand.
