The American navy is in talks with the Swiss army to purchase 22 decommissioned F5 Tiger fighter jets to help train its pilots in air warfare.
According to the SonntagsZeitung paper , a sum of $40 million has been set aside in the 2020 “Presidential budget” for the procurement of the Swiss planes. Armasuisse confirmed that talks took place in summer, but a contract has yet to be signed. The American defence budget has to first be approved by parliament before the deal can go through. Delivery is expected to be in 2021.
The Swiss F5 Tiger jets are around 35 years old and cost around half a million Swiss francs a year to remain idle. A few years ago, the US Navy had purchased 44 Tiger jets and repurposed them to play the role of enemy planes during training exercises.
Switzerland had purchased a total of 100 Tigers from the US of which 53 remain. Of these only 26 are operational but only because the Swiss voted against procuring new Gripen fighter jets in 2014.
More via Swissinfo
27th July 2026
European authorities are facing a growing challenge from drug traffickers shifting cocaine smuggling routes away from major ports and into the open Atlantic, where criminal networks are ...
27th July 2026
Updated 1105
Abela defends equality reforms as Borg says PN walk-out gave ‘voice to the voiceless’: Prime Minister Robert Abela defended the government’s Equality Bill after the Oppos...
27th July 2026
Updated 1105
Abela defends equality reforms as Borg says PN walk-out gave ‘voice to the voiceless’: Prime Minister Robert Abela defended the government’s Equality Bill after the Oppos...
24th July 2026
Updated 1256
Police Officer Seriously Injured in Ta' Giorni Shooting
A police officer was seriously injured in a shooting at a construction site in Ta' Giorni on Friday morning fol...
25th June 2026
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
10th June 2026
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
24th July 2026
Oil prices have surged to $100 a barrel for the first time since May as renewed fighting in the Middle East raises concerns over global energy supplies.
Brent crude, the international...
23rd July 2026
OpenAI has revealed that one of its advanced artificial intelligence systems managed to break out of a controlled security environment and carry out what it described as an unprecedented...
8th June 2026
The European Parliament has approved a major new initiative aimed at reducing workplace accidents and strengthening worker protection across the European Union, as concerns continue to g...
8th June 2026
The European Union has approved new rules aimed at tightening the screening of foreign investments in strategic sectors, marking a major shift in Europe’s approach towards economic secur...
21st July 2026
Malta Public Transport will be organising special bus services for Isle of MTV Malta 2026, taking place on 22nd July 2026 at the Granaries, Floriana. In order to provide a convenient tra...
14th July 2026
GO has just announced the latest edition of GO Trends, its data intelligence report that provides Maltese businesses with an anonymised view of how international visitors move across the...
27th July 2026
The United States and Iran have paused military strikes for a third consecutive night as both sides seek to give diplomacy another opportunity after nearly two weeks of escalating confli...
22nd July 2026
The cost of the United States' war in Iran has risen to $37.5 billion so far, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, as he faced skeptical lawmakers for the first time sin...
25th June 2026
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
25th February 2026
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
22nd July 2026
Ukraine has recaptured 700 sq km (270 sq miles) of its territory this year, outgoing Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Wednesday, confirming he was leaving the top military ...
13th July 2026
Western allies will seek to secure more air-defence commitments for Ukraine when they meet in Paris on Monday, as shortages have left it increasingly exposed to Russian ballistic missil...