Swiss Referendum Will Decide If Purchase of Fighter Jets Allowed

ZURICH, KOMPAS.com – An upcoming Swiss referendum on September 27 will determine whether the government gets the go-ahead to purchase fighter jets.

Switzerland last fought a foreign war 200 years ago and has no discernable enemies yet wants to spend billions on new fighter jets.

Many oppose the idea, saying the neutral country neither can afford nor needs cutting-edge warplanes to defend Alpine territory which a supersonic jet can cross in 10 minutes.

Critics of the plan state that Ireland, Malta and Luxembourg do not have jets, making the 6 billion Swiss franc ($6.6 billion) plan a waste of money.

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"Who is our enemy? Who is attacking a small, neutral country — surrounded by NATO?" asked Priska Seiler Graf, a member of parliament for the left-leaning Social Democrats. "It's really absurd."

Voters get their say on Sunday September 27.

Approving funding in the binding referendum would let the government decide next year among the Eurofighter from Airbus, the Rafale from France's Dassault, Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, or the Lockheed Martin F35-A Lightning II.

The aircraft would replace Switzerland's aging fleet of 30 F/A-18 Hornets which will go out of service in 2030.

Seiler Graf said cheaper alternatives, such as a fighter version of Leonardo's M346 trainer, offered better value than the "expensive toys" under consideration.

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"We need new aircraft, that is not disputed, but buying lighter, simpler aircraft would be enough," she said. "It would be better to have a Fiat than a Maserati."

Voters six years ago rejected the purchase of Gripen jets from Sweden. In 1989 a proposal to scrap its entire army got 35 percent of voter support.

Pollster Lukas Golder from GFS.Bern said voters are likely to back the plan to buy the jets.

Armed neutrality is crucial to how Switzerland defines itself, he said, going back to the belief a strong army deterred invasion by Nazi Germany in World War II.