A US Air Force F-35A takes off from Meiringen Air Base in June 2019. The Swiss Ministry of Defense agreed to spend 6 billion Swiss francs on a fleet of the fighter jets, but the deal has been plagued with problems and Swiss lawmakers are now calling for an official inquiry. (Wikimedia Commons/Ossobe)

Swiss Lawmakers Call for Official Inquiry into F-35 Deal

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The agreement was controversial before Switzerland signed it, and has grown moreso after a “misunderstanding” with the US, tariff threats, and US failure to deliver other hardware.

The American-made F-35 Lightning II is at the center of a political fight brewing in Switzerland, as some lawmakers in the historically-neutral Alpine nation have called for a formal inquiry into Bern’s acquisition of the fifth-generation stealth fighter.

The nation’s left-wing Social Democratic Party is demanding the creation of a commission of inquiry—known as CPI in Switzerland—over the cost of the aircraft.

Officials from the Swiss Ministry of Defense have maintained that their 6 billion Swiss franc ($7.3 billion) contract for 36 F-35 Lightning IIs was a “guaranteed, fixed-price deal.” That meant that if the costs to produce the aircraft increased, it would be Lockheed Martin not the Swiss taxpayer that was ultimately responsible for the difference.

US officials now say that was a “misunderstanding.”

Why Switzerland Chose the F-35

Switzerland has long maintained a policy of “armed neutrality.” The Central European nation has its own armed forces to defend its territory and independence. It supports NATO’s peacekeeping mission and........

© The National Interest