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Switzerland should prioritise interoperability with Europe on air defence as it weighs alternatives to the US Patriot orders which are now at least five years behind schedule, according to the country’s top security official.
Markus Mäder, state secretary for security, pointed to the French-Italian SAMP/T air and missile defence system as Europe’s main offer while Bern awaits US arms maker Raytheon to deliver its system, which was due in 2027 but has been pushed back to 2032 or later.
“We want to be interoperable with our environment, and that’s Europe,” he said in an FT interview. “We’re not saying we change from one horse to the other, but [if] one horse is not fast enough . . . let’s try [to] find a second horse.”
SAMP-T has become a symbol of Europe’s push to reduce dependence on US air defence systems such as the Patriot, although so far few countries have ordered it and most of Europe remains reliant on US technology.
