US Circumvents Swiss Payment Freeze For Patriot Air-Defence System

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Switzerland halted payments for US Patriot surface-to-air defence systems last autumn after learning deliveries would be delayed by several years. But the Swiss public broadcaster SRF reveals that the freeze is having little effect: the US has been redirecting Swiss payments intended for the F‐35 fighter jet to cover Patriot costs. Select your language

Generated with artificial intelligence. Listening: US circumvents Swiss payment freeze for Patriot air-defence system This content was published on March 26, 2026 - 14:36 6 minutes Dominik Meier, SRF

Deutsch de USA umgehen Schweizer Zahlungsstopp für Flugabwehrsystem Patriot Original Read more: USA umgehen Schweizer Zahlungsstopp für Flugabwehrsystem Pa 日本語 ja 米国、スイスのパトリオット地対空システム支払い凍結を回避 Read more: 米国、スイスのパトリオット地対空システム支払い Русский ru США направили на Patriot швейцарские деньги, выделенные на F-35 Read more: США направили на Patriot швейцарские деньги, выделенные на

Urs Loher, director of national armaments at the Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement (armasuisse), confirmed the US move and told SRF how much money has already been shifted. But under pressure from US authorities, he can no longer disclose the exact figure. He describes it only as“a low three-digit million amount” – meaning well over CHF100 million ($126 million).

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The US is thus circumventing the payment freeze by redirecting Swiss F‐35 fighter jet funds to the Patriot system. How is this possible?

In the US, arms deals with foreign countries always go through the US government's Foreign Military Sales Program (FMS). Within this programme, the US maintains a fund for all Swiss arms purchases.

Whether it is for the F-35 or for the Patriot, all Swiss payments end up in this fund. If one project lacks money, the US is allowed to access funds for other projects. This is exactly what the American authorities are now doing: money intended for the F‐35 programme is being used to finance the Patriot system.

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“This is very unsatisfactory,” Loher says. The redirection of funds puts the Swiss defence ministry under pressure and leaves shortfalls in the budget for the F-35 jets.

At the end of 2025, the ministry had to transfer several tens of millions of francs ahead of schedule to the US to plug the gap. These early payments intensify the ministry's existing financial problems: it is already struggling to fund approved arms procurements.

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