Switzerland, perhaps known as among the calmest or least turbulent nations in recent geopolitical history, is now acquiring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, thus joining the fast-growing coalition of nations committed to sustain an allied community of 5th-generation aircraft.
The Swiss Federal Council announced it has chosen the F-35 for its New Fighter Aircraft competition. Does this signal anything of significance? Certainly.
Any Swiss acquisition of the F-35, one could argue, actually reinforces the country’s long-standing commitment to peace and neutrality, given that the JSF is in part engineered to demonstrate a measure of air-superiority to the point that it deters any potential aggressors, therefore managing to help keep the peace. This may seem somewhat paradoxical, as it is certainly a warfare platform, yet part of the intent of F-35 engineering was to build something with superior sensor reach and overmatch capability such that it would “deter” any potential adversaries from challenging U.S. air supremacy. This is of course a pressing question now, given that both Russia and China reportedly operate 5th-Gen aircraft. However, are Chinese J-20 and Russian Su-57 sensors, weapons and AI-enabled data processing comparable to the F-35?
As of several years ago, Switzerland maintains a stand of “armed neutrality,” meaning they support NATO’s peacekeeping mission but do not formally enter into the military portions of the alliance. The country has maintained a “neutral” stance since 1815. Certainly there could be an argument made that the F-35 could be viewed as a part of a “neutral” stance, in the manner it functions as a deterrent.
The F-35 acquisition is a total package of F-35A aircraft, a sustainment solution tailored to Swiss autonomy requirements, and a comprehensive training program,” a Lockheed statement reads.
From a strategic and tactical or force-posture position, there are several reasons why an F-35 might be appealing. Initially, Swiss consideration of the F-35 lends additional credibility to the established performance of the aircraft in training exercises such as the Air Force’s Red Flag wherein the aircraft managed to destroy a large number of adversary platforms without being seen. These kinds of dynamics might explain why the list of potential F-35 partners continues to grow at a rapid pace beyond the original scope. Japan, Israel and South Korea are among more recent arrivals to the world of F-35. Yet another significant element of the Swiss acquisition is that it arguably expands NATO’s reach, meaning regardless of the fact that Switzerland is not a NATO country, its ability to operate F-35s will make it easier and more efficient for Swiss air assets to share data and engage in secure communication with other friendly, U.S.-allied European countries.
The Swiss F-35 acquisition also speaks to a changing global threat environment wherein expansionist U.S. rivals such as Russia and China are themselves fast-acquiring more 5th-Generation platforms. The Chinese not only already have the J-20 and J-31 but also appear to be engineering a maritime J-31 variant to compete with the F-35B and F-35C.
