The degree of local industry participation is shaping up to be a major factor for the famously independence-minded Swiss.
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aircraft makers have submitted final offers for Switzerland’s $6.5 billion aircraft program, with Airbus and Lockheed Martin touting different approaches to assembling their planes locally.
While Switzerland would be able to purchase parts through the spares pool shared by all F-35 operators,
the offer also contains a six-month deployed spares package — a separate pot of parts that would be managed by the Swiss government, which was necessary to meet Swiss autonomy requirements.
To meet requirements for industrial participation, Switzerland would have the opportunity to domestically produce about 400 canopies and transparencies for F-35 aircraft, and Lockheed would establish a European hub for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of F-35 canopies and transparencies in Switzerland. In addition, the country would take on certain F-35 engine and airframe sustainment projects focused on maintaining the Swiss Air Force’s operational autonomy, Kelley said.
Lockheed also plans to partner with Swiss industry to create a cyber center of excellence, which would prototype a unique data network for Switzerland and build a test bed that would allow Swiss companies to test cyber capabilities in a secure environment.
On top of those efforts, Lockheed is offering one last industrial participation opportunity to Switzerland.
For an additional cost, Switzerland will be able to conduct the final assembly of four F-35 aircraft at existing RUAG facilities in Emmen, allowing the Swiss technicians that currently work on the country’s aging Hornet fleet to build a deeper knowledge of the aircraft’s design.
That option would add a “significant cost” to the total program, Kelley said, but could allow for overall savings throughout the life cycle of the program.
Boeing, meanwhile, has positioned its offer of an F-18 Super Hornet fleet as a logical extension of Switzerland’s existing F-18 infrastructure. “
As an F/A-18 operator, Switzerland will have the option to reuse up to 60 percent of existing physical and intellectual infrastructure, making the transition to a Super Hornet easier and more cost effective over the life of the aircraft,” the company said in a statement.