A Swiss parliamentary committee announced that it is launching an investigation into the government's actions in connection with the purchase of 36 US F-35 fighter jets, for which the US is claiming up to $1.3 billion, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
On June 25, the Swiss government indicated that the US is claiming a higher amount, from $650 million to $1.3 billion. dollars, due to inflationary allowances.
"The State Transactions Management Commission of the National Council has decided to investigate the actions of the authorities on the issue of the fixed price for the F-35A in the acquisition of the aircraft", a press release said.
It has decided to "try to determine whether there were any shortcomings in the way the Federal Council (government) managed the negotiations".
It also wants to investigate whether the government and the Swiss Ministry of Defense "communicated appropriately with regard to parliamentary control and the public".
According to Bern, in 2022 Switzerland and the United States agreed on a fixed price of just over 6 billion francs (currently 6.4 billion euros) for the fighters, manufactured by the American company "Lockheed Martin". According to the Swiss Ministry of Defense, the price was officially confirmed by both expert reports from several law firms and the US Embassy in Bern. However, at the end of February, the US Agency for Defense and Security Cooperation "informed Switzerland in writing that in its opinion the agreed fixed price was based on a misunderstanding".
Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027.
At the end of June 2021, the government decided to purchase the F-35, which is considered one of the most modern and advanced fighter jets in the world and with which many European countries are already equipped or will be equipped. In September 2020, Switzerland approved a budget of just under 6 billion. Swiss francs with which the country can acquire a new fleet, as the aircraft currently in use will reach the end of their service life by the end of the decade.
Although the Swiss government claims that the F-35 aircraft are the best and lowest-cost, the countless technical difficulties and budget overruns of the F-35 program in the United States had already led the Audit Commission of the National Council to examine the choice of aircraft in 2022, AFP recalls.