On September 19, officials from Switzerland announced that they signed a contract enabling them to purchase Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets from the United States in order to revamp their air force.  

   The $6 billion deal, signed by head of Swiss Armaments Service Martin Sonderegger and F-35A program director Darko Savic, states that the aircraft will be delivered to the nation with weapons, logistics, and mission-support equipment, according to ABC News.  

   The contract includes 36 of the standard F-35A models, intending to replace an ageing fleet of Boeing F/A-18 Hornets and Northrop F-5 Tigers, and is set to occur between 2027 and 2030. 

     The stealth fighters were selected during a competition involving Lockheed’s aeroplane, Boeing and their F/A-18, French company Dassault and their Rafale, and Airbus/BAE with their Eurofighter Typhoon. 

   Opposition to the procurement gathered signatures in order to force a referendum, but to no avail. “A vote after the contract has been signed is nothing but a democratic farce,” the opposition group stated on Tuesday. 

   Under this reasoning, opposition to the procurement of the fighters “will withdraw its popular initiative, but remains convinced that the F-35 is a bad purchase and a billion dollar risk for Switzerland,” the group concluded.  

    Defence officials signed an agreement with the aforementioned aerospace company, which “forms the basis for the U.S manufacturer to conduct offset business with the Swiss industry,” according to the Swiss government.