BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland’s recently announced decision to buy 22 Saab Gripen fighter planes from Sweden is under review following the publication by Le Matin Dimanche over the weekend of a 2009 report saying the Swedish jets didn’t meet Swiss military standards.
The spokesperson for Uele Maurer, Swiss defense minister, said Sunday 12 February that Maurer had never seen the report, raising new questions about the approval process behind the Federal Council’s decision to buy the planes.
Parliament has called on Maurer to immediately clarify the situation.
The 2009 confidential report was signed by Markus Gygax, head of the Swiss Air Force, after candidate fighter jets were submitted to tests; the Gripen did not meet the minimum standards while two other planes did. One was submitted by French company Dassault and information has surfaced in the past few days that the Dassault bid was also lower.
The Federal Council is now reviewing the decision, with the lower house of parliament loudly criticizing the way the choice was handled. The upper house’s security commission announced Monday 13 February that it will wait until its turn comes to review the decision, after the Federal Council makes its recommendation, before it becomes in the debate. But, it underscored firmly, it expects to be provided with all information available, including the minutes of lower house committee debates, in order to determine if the choice was made fairly and honestly.
Military jets above Swiss Alps, Valais, before World Economic Forum in January 2009.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - More than 100,000 Swiss have signed a petition asking for a popular referendum to put a limit on the number of fighter jets owned by the Swiss military, a large enough number to now force a vote, the Swiss Chancellory announced Friday 26 June.
