Switzerland Looks for New Missile Friends as US Delays Patriots Because of Iran War

Switzerland is getting tired of waiting. The neutral Alpine nation said on Wednesday that it will look into whether to buy air-defence systems from other suppliers after the United States informed it that already long-delayed Patriot missile systems will be held up further because of the war in Iran.

Switzerland ordered five Patriot systems back in 2022. The initial expectation was that they would be delivered in 2026–2028. That timeline has already slipped by four to five years because of the war in Ukraine. Now, the government said, Washington has advised that the Iran war will lead to additional delays and cost increases. A delay of five to seven years is now expected. "All options would lead to delivery delays as well as substantial additional costs," the government said.

So Switzerland is shopping around. The government expects to receive feedback by the end of the month from five additional suppliers of long-range ground-based air-defence systems. It did not name the suppliers but said they come from Germany, France, Israel, and South Korea. Switzerland said it would prefer if the systems are produced in Europe. The governing Federal Council is expected to decide on next steps in the coming months.

Termination of the Patriot purchase is on the table. The Swiss government said as much back in April.

The cost implications are significant. Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, citing informed sources, reported that the price for the five Patriot systems could double from 2.3 billion Swiss francs ($2.9 billion) to 4.6 billion francs. Switzerland's procurement agency armasuisse and the Pentagon did not immediately reply to requests for comment on that report.

Last month, Reuters reported that the US had informed European counterparts of likely delays in previously contracted weapons deliveries as the Iran war continues to draw on weapons stocks. Switzerland now appears to be taking that warning seriously – seriously enough to call Berlin, Paris, Tel Aviv, and Seoul. The Patriots, meanwhile, remain somewhere over the horizon.