Airbus has offered to assemble the Eurofighter aircraft in Switzerland if Bern decides to select the aerospace company for a defense contract worth six billion Swiss franc ($6.5 billion), a source from the consortium revealed on Sunday.
This commitment from Airbus follows the announcement of a Swiss cabinet decision to take place on Wednesday to determine which aircraft will replace the aging F/A-18 Hornets in the Swiss fleet. The Eurofighter’s main competition comes from Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin’s F35-A Lightning II, and the Rafale from France’s Dassault, of which the F-35 is currently the frontrunner.
Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, all of whom make the Eurofighter, have also stepped forward and offered political cooperation should Bern select the Eurofighter. The winning aircraft is expected to be delivered by 2025.
While Lockheed Martin’s F35-A may be the favorite due to the Swiss government’s belief that it boasts the best technical and financial features, Airbus head of sales Bernhard Brenner believes that there are more considerations that need to be evaluated before reaching a final decision.
“The economic and political elements are just as important,” he stated. This, of course, was a direct reference to the fact that a deal with a European manufacturer would help smooth tensions with the European Union after Switzerland abandoned a draft bilateral treaty after years of negotiation.
