USA informs Switzerland about delay in Patriot deliveries - they will be transferred to Ukraine
The United States Department of Defense has informed the DDPS that it will reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine, focusing on ground-based air defense. This also affects Switzerland, which will receive its production batches later than planned, the press service of the Swiss Ministry of Defense reported.
“The United States Department of Defense has informed the DDPS that it will reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine, focusing on ground-based air defense. This also affects Switzerland, which will receive its production batches later than planned,” the DDPS said on its website Thursday.
It is noted that the Swiss government has been notified.
“The US wants to strengthen its support to Ukraine. Countries now supplying weapons systems to Ukraine will be able to replace them faster. The US has therefore decided to reprioritize the delivery of Patriot ground-based air defense systems. Germany, among others, has decided to once more supply two of their Patriot systems to Ukraine,” the message reads.
In 2022, Switzerland had ordered five Patriot systems. Delivery was scheduled to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2028. However, on July 16, the US Department of Defense informed the DDPS that Switzerland would also be affected by the new prioritization and that deliveries intended for Switzerland would be delayed.
“It is currently unclear how many systems will be affected and whether the delivery of guided missiles will also be affected. No statement can be made at this stage regarding the exact timing and any further implications for Switzerland. Clarifications are ongoing,” the message reads.
It is noted that a year ago, the US informed Switzerland that the PAC-3 MSE version of the guided missiles for Patriot, which parliament had approved in 2023 after ordering the weapon systems, would be delivered to Switzerland later than planned in order to support Ukraine.