The United States has circumvented a Swiss payment freeze on the Patriot air defense system by redirecting funds Bern had set aside for its F-35 fighter jet acquisition, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported on March 27, 2026.
Switzerland halted Patriot payments in July 2025 after being notified of multi-year delivery delays, but the freeze has had limited practical effect due to the structure of the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The FMS program pools payments for multiple defense projects into a single fund, allowing US authorities to shift resources between programs.
Urs Loher, head of armaments at armasuisse, Switzerland’s federal defense procurement and technology agency, confirmed to SRF that US authorities had redirected the payments. He described the amount as “a low three-digit million amount”, a sum well exceeding 100 million Swiss francs, or roughly $126 million. Under pressure from US authorities, Loher noted he was no longer permitted to disclose the precise figure.
The diversion has opened budget gaps in Switzerland’s F-35 acquisition program. To compensate, the Swiss Defense Ministry was forced to advance tens of millions of francs ahead of schedule in late 2025. Loher described the overall situation as “very unsatisfactory,” while acknowledging that “the balance of power is quite clear”.
Delays pile up as Iran war reshapes Patriot demand
Four years ago, Switzerland signed contracts with the US for five Patriot air defense batteries, with deliveries originally scheduled to begin in 2026. In 2025, Washington informed Bern that it would prioritize deliveries to Ukraine. In February 2026, Switzerland learned that the delay would stretch to four to five years.
The outbreak of the Iran war has since strained global Patriot supply yet further. The Pentagon is now considering redirecting Ukraine-bound Patriot interceptors to the Middle East, where Operation Epic Fury has consumed munitions at a pace that is straining US stockpiles. Switzerland now expects a wait of at least five years, with no reliable new timeline from Washington.
In February 2026, the US also informed the Swiss defense ministry that the system would cost significantly more. Loher estimates the price increase at up to 50%, pushing the total purchase price up by CHF 1 billion (~$1.2 billion) to CHF 3 billion (~$3.7 billion).
Switzerland eyes cancellation and SAMP/T as an alternative
The revelation has drawn sharp reactions across Switzerland’s political spectrum. Senator Werner Salzmann of the Swiss People’s Party called it “frustrating” that the freeze could be bypassed, claiming that trust in Washington had been damaged. Senator Josef Dittli of the center-right Radical-Liberal Party also raised concerns, suggesting authorities may not have anticipated such a mechanism. Social Democrat lawmaker Priska Seiler Graf said that the episode reinforces her party’s calls to cancel the Patriot purchase outright.
Defense Minister Martin Pfister is reportedly exploring the purchase of an alternative air defense system. One candidate is the SAMP/T, developed by the Franco-Italian consortium Eurosam. Pfister has so far stopped short of canceling the Patriot order.
The episode adds to a broader pattern of friction between Bern and Washington over arms procurement. Switzerland’s F-35 program has already been marked by cost overruns that have forced the government to reduce its planned purchase from 36 to around 30 aircraft in order to stay within the CHF 6 billion (~$7.5 billion) ceiling approved by voters in a 2020 referendum. This reduction was itself the result of price increases Washington had not flagged at the time of the original deal.
