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Swiss F-5Es
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The F-5E/F Tiger II was a follow-on upgrade to the wildly successful F-5 Freedom Fighter, a low-budget aircraft designed to capture the lower tier of the non-Soviet global fighter market in the 1960s and 1970s. A number of countries still operate F-5s, but the airframes are very old. The Swiss bought 72 F-5E/F fighters in 1976, and another 38 in 1981, for a total of 110 (98 single-seat F5E, 12 two-seat F-5F). Switzerland currently flies about 54 F-5s; A squadron of 12 were leased to Austria while they await their Eurofighters, and 44 others were sold to the US Navy.

While F-5 owners like Brazil, Chile, Thailand, et . al. have opted for comprehensive refurbishment and upgrades, Switzerland is looking to replace 3 of its 5 Tiger II squadrons with new aircraft under its Tiger-Teilersatz TTE program. The new fighters will partner with the 3 squadrons of upgraded F/A-18C/D Hornets that make up the rest of its fighter fleet. An initial evaluation RFP has been issued to 4 contenders, but Boeing’s withdrawal means the selection is now down to Sweden’s Gripen, France’s Rafale, or EADS’ Eurofighter.

Testing is now complete, and armasuisse has issued its 2nd and final RFP. Left-wing opponents of any military in Switzerland are working hard to derail the purchase, and like the 1993 F/A-18 sale, this purchase will face a national referendum. If it isn’t canceled by the Cabinet first. So far, however, the program is moving forward, and final bids have now been submitted…

• The Competition [updated]
• The Competitors
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings

The Competition

Swiss F/A-18Cs
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As the Schweizer Luftwaffe explains in its Jan 17/07 release, without new aircraft the ability to maintain full sovereignty air patrols would decline to just 2 weeks – though 24-hour patrols might be maintained for more than 14 days in a year by shortening the 24 hour coverage periods to a few days at a time, and staggering the periods:

“Sans le remplacement des F-5 Tiger, la capacite de maintenir la sauvegarde de la souverainete sur l’espace aerien, d’assurer le service de police aerienne et de la defense aerienne serait massivement reduite. Avec seulement 33 F/A-18, une presence permanente (24 heures sur 24) de 4 appareils en vol ne pourrait etre assuree que pendant deux semaines environ.”

The expected budget for the replacement program is just CHF 2.2 billion (in March 2009, about $1.95 billion/ EUR $1.45 billion), covering both fighters and a handful of PC-21 turboprop trainers.

With testing complete, Dassault, EADS and Saab were invited to submit a second offer in January 2009, with receipt of those offers expected in April 2009. May 2009 was supposed see the release of the evaluation report prepared by armasuisse, and the Chief of Armament will consult with the Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) and the Commander of the Swiss Air Force. A winner was expected in July 2009, and the Partial Tiger Replacement was expected to be approved by the legislature alongside Armament Program 2010.

That decision was postponed by the military, with no announcement of any kind until 2010. The militar’s evaluation report of the 3 contenders is expected in December 2009, and the Swiss report on security policy is slated for spring 2010.

Approval of the proposed acquisition is now expected as part of Armament Program 2011, assuming that current government’s consensus in favor of the purchase remans in place.

Whichever competitor wins can expect to face more political difficulties after their victory is announced. Switzerland’s purchase of 34 F/A-18 C/Ds, for instance, required a 1993 referendum organized by Switzerland’s socialist and Green parties. The deal passed, but a current political proposal aims to ban “peace-time flights of combat-jets in tourist areas,” a move that would make it almost impossible for the Schweizer Luftwaffe to train its pilots. That has not come to pass yet, but a referendum on the F-5 replacement will take place in 2011, with opposition led by the same group.

Additional initiatives and political maneuvering may be expected from the GSoA (Group for a Switzerland without an Army) coalition as the deal comes close to fruition.

The Competitors

Rafale B
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At present, the competitors are BAE/Saab (JAS-39 Gripen), Dassault (Rafale), and EADS (Eurofighter Typhoon). As noted above, the expected budget is just CHF 2.2 billion, to cover at least 22 fighters, plus additional Pilatus PC-21 advanced trainers. The high-end participants in the competition could find themselves very disadvantaged, given Switzerland’s budget and need for numbers.

EADS’ Eurofighter, for instance, would yield about 10-12 aircraft within those constraints, based on Austria’s EUR 2 billion buy of just 18, later reduced to EUR 1.63 billion for 15. It is an excellent air superiority fighter, but Austria’s Tranche 1 models lack precision ground attack capability. In addition, Switzerland is just under 360 km/ 215 miles wide at its widest point, and its firm neutrality keeps its air force from deploying elsewhere.

When these factors are added up, the twin-engine Eurofighter will have a difficult task avoiding the perception of over-budget overkill. The plane’s strongest option would probably be a used aircraft sale from an existing partner nation. That may be a viable option, as Tranche 3 purchases look set to strain member country budgets, but cancellation will attract sharp financial penalties. Selling earlier models is one way to ease that strain.

Dassault’s Rafale offers a comparable set of capabilities to the Eurofighter, at a lower price point. It is generally considered to be an inferior air superiority fighter, but it has good ground attack capabilities that make it a better multi-role aircraft than early Eurofighter models. Its spotty integration with several American weapons used by the Schweizer Luftwaffe could become an issue, and so could its delayed integration with the Damocles surveillance and targeting pod. On the flip side, consistent losses in export competitions (a possible sale to Libya remains its only success) will keep up the pressure on France to offer a very attractive deal. Can Dassault keep its price to about EUR 65 million per plane, including initial training and spares (i.e. 22 aircraft within the budget), and offer weapon integration relief?

Gripen weapon options
c. Gripen International
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The Saab/ BAE team of Gripen International offers the lowest price point of any of these aircraft, with lease-to-buy options underway in Hungary & The Czech Republic and a strong record of industrial offset deals. The Gripen is a solid multi-role performer that is pretty close to the current epitome of what a lightweight fighter should be; its corresponding range handicap, which has often been a limiting factor in fighter competitions against this cohort, is a complete non-issue in this competition.

An offer of 30-34 JAS-39 C/D aircraft that could mirror Switzerland’s 3 squadrons totaling 33 Hornets may be within the realm of financial possibility. JAS-39C/D Gripens would also use an RB12 engine that is closely derived from the F404s powering Switzerland’s Hornets, and are delivered ready to use with the LITENING reconnaissance and targeting pods that Switzerland is buying as upgrades for its Hornet fleet. Given the DDPS’ implicit need for numbers, the industrial offsets, and the potential political bonus of a sale from another neutral country, the Gripen appears to be very well positioned in this fight. The firm’s Jan 17/08 release was already stressing some of these factors.

Hornet vs. Super Hornet
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Boeing’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet offered the advantage of some commonalities with Switzerland’s existing F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet, but in truth, commonality between the aircraft is well under 50%. It’s also an expensive aircraft, with likely flyaway costs of $80-90 million. Australia burned through USD$ 1.3 billion for just 24 basic F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, with radars and other equipment still to be purchased that will likely raise the price to over $2 billion. It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Swiss budget yields much more than 15-18 aircraft, though declines in the US dollar have helped.

As is often the case in Europe, opposition to sales from American firms was expected to be a factor for the Super Hornet. Concerns were also expressed about the ability to fit these aircraft into the Swiss aircraft shelters, many of which are carved into mountainsides; prior to the announcement, there had been rumors that the Super Hornet would be excluded from the competition on those grounds. The Super Hornet was a legitimate competitor, but one flying into strong headwinds.

In the end, the questions became moot. Boeing looked at the RFP requirements, and decided not to bid.

Contracts & Key Events

RAF Typhoon & ASRAAM
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Dec 28/09: The Swiss DDPS admits that defense minister Ueli Maurer has asked the cabinet to suspend the new fighter purchase, in order to devote funds to the Army instead. A decision is expected in spring 2010. From the DDPS release, French version [accents removed for technical compatibility]:

Oct 21/09: The Swiss Federal Council decides to maintain the timing of the partial replacement of the Tiger (TTE) competition, in spite of the proposed national referendum. It wants TTE plans and budgets included as part of the wider national defense review in Spring 2010, and plans to continue the evaluations in the mean time so as to be ready for budgetting in the 2011 Armament program. armasuisse [in German].

Oct 15/09: Swiss media report that Defence Minister Ueli Maurer asked the cabinet to drop the F-5 replacement project and spend the money on other equipment, logistics and military buildings instead. There are also reports that a recent defence ministry document concluded that even 22 planes would be difficult to purchase within Switzerland’s existing budget.

Swissinfo gives a rumored figure of about 12 planes maximum, but given known fighter costs for some of the contenders, that seems low. The Netherlands has been quoted $4.9 billion for 85 operational JAS-39NGs, for instance. Assuming even $2 billion of the planned $2.2 billion available to the Swiss, and assuming a higher percentage of fixed costs given the smaller order, a comparable deal would still translate into about 33 aircraft.

A Swiss defence ministry spokesman would only say that the cabinet would take a final decision on the jets as planned in January 2010. Swissinfo | Reuters. Re: Gripen costs, see: KRO reporter video [Flash, in Dutch with some English] | Defense Aerospace KRO partial translation.

June 8/09: The Group for Switzerland without an Army hands in 107,000 signatures to the federal authorities, in support of a referendum initiative to block replacement of Switzerland’s fighter jet fleet.

A national referendum in Switzerland requires 100,000 signatures from eligible voters, in a country that had about 7.4 million residents in 2004. SwissInfo story.

May-June 2009: US Defense Acquisition University’s Defense AT&L Magazine runs “Sharpening the Spear Through Innovative Acquisition: The F-5 Adversary Program” [PDF]. It describes the US Navy and Marine Corps’ purchase of 44 Swiss F-5s from 2003-2005, in a “reverse Foreign Military Sale.”

Switzerland had originally purchased 70 F-5E/Fs from the USA in the late 1980s, but sharp cuts to the Swiss Air Force had left them with surplus planes. The Swiss aircraft had far lower flight-hours per airframe (average flight hours: 2,500) than American aggressor training squadron F-5Es (average flight hours: 7,000). They also added a number of useful improvements: an improved inertial navigation system, new radar warning receiver capability and chaff /flare capability, added anti-skid capability, improved airborne radar capability, and standardized cockpit configuration.

With Northrop Grumman’s close cooperation, the entire program was accomplished within a $43 million budget, avoiding a situation in which 73% of the Navy and Marines’ F-5 aggressor aircraft were expected to drop out of service by FY 2007 due to spiraling maintenance costs. The ex-Swiss planes can be identified by their new designation: F-5N.

March 25/09: Armasuisse announces that it will not deliver its fighter replacement recommendations until after December 2009. The Swiss Federal Council has instructed its DDPS defense sub-mnistry to submit a report on security policy by that date, and armasuisse will not deliver any recommendation before that report is released.

Reuters UK and some local Swiss media are speculating that the decision is linked to pressure from Germany and France to end Switzerland’s iconic bank secrecy laws. The logic seems flawed; if retaliation was the motive, simply selecting Sweden’s Gripen as the winner would more than suffice. If retaliation is not the motive, however, in could mean that the program as a whole is in trouble. Defence minister Ueli Maurer’s statements that the government would wait for the report then decide on whether it needed the new planes, adds weight to that interpretation. Armasuisse [in French] | defpro | Reuters UK.

Jan 15/09: Armasuisse announces an updated RFP, in which the manufacturers are asked to do 2 things: The first is to submit an offer for 22 aircraft. The second is to explain how many aircraft can be delivered for the budgeted CHF 2.2 billion. Maintenance costs will also be evaluated, and the bidders now have a chance to refine that aspect if they wish.

The new RFP incorporates the results of the ground and flight tests, notes functions and performances which do not meet the military’s requirements, and offers an opportunity for additional improvements. Armasuisse also wants the manufacturers to arrange training for Swiss pilots at a base in the manufacturing country, and to submit proposals for cooperation with Swiss industry that enables Switzerland to participate in further development of the chosen fighter. The manufacturers now have until mid April 2009 to submit an updated offer.

Swiss F-5Es
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Dec 9/08: Proposals have apparently been floated to replace Switzerland’s fighters with used models of newer fighter types. The Swiss procurement agency armasuisse says that doesn’t make sense given the overhaul and upgrade requirements, and the aircraft’s short useful life. Armasuisse says that it would accept a used aircraft offer if it were submitted, but that offer would be evaluated on the same basis as the existing Eurofighter, Gripen, and Rafale bids.

While the issue has been discussed in terms of used F/A-18s, the most likely used aircraft candidates are actually the Eurofighter and Gripen. Eurofighter partner nations who do not wish to pay the penalties for canceling Tranche 3 purchases may find it expedient to sell their Tranche 1 aircraft as an offset, if re-export customers can be secured. The Swedish Air Force has been contemplating a sharp reduction in its JAS-39 fleet, and might also be interested in a government to government sale. Aviation Week Ares.

Dec 2/08: Tests with the three candidates for the Partial Tiger Replacement (TTE) are now complete, and the go-forward schedule is declared. Armasuisse.

Nov 12/08: Reuters reports that the left-wing GSoA (Group for a Switzerland without an Army) continues to organize a referendum aimed at killing the new jet purchase. GSoA secretary Patrick Angele:

“The purchase is unnecessary from a security-political point of view. Fighter jets make too much noise and are damaging to the environment…. We have already secured 55,000 signatures [of the 100,000 required]. A representative poll by Demoscope shows that 66 percent of all voters are against the purchase. We are confident for the referendum.”

GSoA lost the previous anti-Hornet referendum 57% to 43%. Reuters.

Nov 6/08: The Eurofighter Typhoon lands in Switzerland to begin trials. Eurofighter GmbH.

Oct 10/08: Dassault’s Rafale fighter lands in Switzerland to begin trials. Armasuisse release.

JAS-39D test flight
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Aug 4/08: Armasuisse announces that flight tests of the JAS-39D Gripen are underway and on schedule.

July 2/07: Saab announces that it has submitted its proposal to Switzerland. They also announce conditional industrial cooperation agreements and possible joint programs with Rheinmetall Schweiz AG for “defence and civil security” projects, and with Pilatus Aircraft for design and manufacturing of aircraft components, development of composite structures, et. al. Bid submission release | Industrial cooperation release.

June 17/08: Armasuisse details the selection testing process for the Partial Tiger Replacement (TTE) program. Trials will take place at the Emmen airbase for the most part, though Meiringen, Sion and Payerne will also be used.

Each manufacturer will supply a 2-seat version of their fighter, to accommodate both a manufacturer test pilot and a Swiss pilot. Each candidate aircraft will then undertake about 30 flights, including night and supersonic flights. Swiss Hornet and Tiger fighters will also participate, executing about 50 flights overall as simulated targets and formation flying partners. The test scenarios are identical for all three candidates, with Saab JAS-39 Gripen going first from July 28 – August 22, Dassault’s Rafale’s trials from Oct 13 – Nov 7, and EADS Eurofighter finishing the series from Nov 10 – Dec 2/08.

All manufacturers will be invited to submit a second offer after the flight and ground tests, whose evaluation data will be added to procurement costs per aircraft, maintenance costs, infrastructure costs, and generation of noise. After submission of the second manufacturers’ offers and the subsequent evaluation report in May 2009, selection of the winning aircraft is planned for July 2009.

Pilatus PC-21
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April 30/08: PC-21 program underway, explained. Armasuise announces that they have carried out acceptance tests with the first PC-21 aircraft for the Swiss Air Force at Pilatus Aircraft Ltd in Stans:

“With Armament Program 2006, the Swiss Parliament approved the purchase of the modern PC-21 training aircraft manufactured by the Swiss company. The system is to be used primarily for the training of jet pilots. Since the Hawk jet aircraft were decommissioned, this gap had to be filled by using the F-5E/F Tiger…. At the moment the air force will take over four aircraft and in the end have six aircraft in its inventory.”

April 30/08: Boeing out. A Boeing release announces that they won’t be bidding:

“After a thorough review of Switzerland’s requirements for partial replacement of its Tiger fighter aircraft, Boeing [NYSE: BA] has decided not to enter the competition due to the disparity between the requirements for an F-5 replacement aircraft and the next-generation capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornet. Boeing values its long-standing partnership with Switzerland and looks forward to continuing its support and modernization of the F-18C/D as the Swiss Air Force moves into the future.”

See also Armasuisse release:

“The Department of Defence, civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) regrets the decision of Boeing, since the 33 F/A-18C/D of the same manufacturer have proven to be of excellent value in Switzerland. Boeing assured that despite the fact that it will not submit an offer for the partial Tiger replacement, the company will continue to provide its full support for the operation and modernisation of the C/D models. This particularly applies to the current supplementary equipment (Armament Program 03) and to the planned maintenance of capabilities (Armament Program 08).”

Jan 7/08: The competition begins. The competing firms are invited to submit their first offers by the middle of 2008, with in-flight evaluations to take place in Switzerland later in 2008. The DDPS will then propose a winner and budget to the federal Council, and Parliament will be asked to authorize acquisition of the new fighters as part of Switzerland’s 2010 budget.

The costs of acquiring the Tiger replacement aircraft, as well as additional Swiss Pilatus PC-21 advanced turpoprop training aircraft to add to the 6 already ordered, is estimated at approximately 2.2 billion francs (currently about $2 billion/ EUR $1.36 billion). DDSP release [French] | Gripen International release, where the Swedish competitor was quick to emphasize its own advantages:

”[Gripen International Sales and Marketing Director for Switzerland] Manne Koerfer also emphasized that Gripen is the independent choice, resulting in less dependencies, and that the offer to Switzerland will also include industrial co-operation characterized by partnerships of equals.”

Additional Readings

• Schweitzer Luftwaffe – Tiger-Teilersatz TTE [in German]

• Schweitzer Luftwaffe – Northrop F-5E Tiger II [in German]

• Schweitzer Luftwaffe – Northrop F-5F Tiger II [in German]

• International Relations and Security Network (Sept 15/08) – Swiss acquisition ambitions. In-depth analysis of the F-5 replacement, and its possible political/ referendum hurdles.

• Air Force Technology – PC-21 Turboprop Trainer, Switzerland

• Air Force Technology – Eurofighter Typhoon Multi-Role Combat Fighter, Europe

• DID FOCUS Article – The JAS-39 Gripen: Sweden’s 4+ Generation Wild Card

• Air Force Technology – Gripen Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, Sweden

• Air Force Technology – Rafale Multi-Role Combat Fighter, France

• Naval Technology – F/A-18E/F Super Hornet – Maritime Strike Attack Aircraft, USA

• DID Spotlight – The USA’s 2005-2009 Multi-Year Hornet Procurement Contract. Covers the Super Hornet variants and their contracts.

• US Defense Acquisition University’s Defense AT&L Magazine (May-June 2009) – Sharpening the Spear Through Innovative Acquisition: The F-5 Adversary Program” [PDF]. Details the Navy’s repurchase of F-5s from Switzerland.