The French military orders 9 aircraft from Switzerland

The French Air Force has ordered nine training aircraft from the Swiss company Pilates, although the Swiss preferred American F-35 was selected for Rafael.

Without difficult feelings. While the Swiss Air Force has given priority to the US F-35 fighter jet to the French Rafale, France has issued an order for 9 PC-21 trainers manufactured by Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus. Challenges.

“Strike Time”

The second order in a few years, after aiming to train 17 copies of the Air Force and astronauts in 2017, the magazine notes, triggers a “very startling time”.

In addition to the F-35, Switzerland also chose the US Security Council Patriot at the end of June, which gave priority to the MBDA and Thales’ Franco-Italian SAMB / D, with a total bill of $ 6.4 billion. Euros, so it does not go into the pockets of its closest European neighbors.

Expected economic counter-attack

So if France had shown a certain “fair play” (the PC-21 aircraft will also be very popular on the Cognac platform that will be in service from 2018), this decision will scare people. Following the end of Switzerland, the Mars think tank, comprising about thirty French figures from the public and private sectors and academics, called for the demolition of the table by reducing the size of the cooperation Franco-Swiss army. Challenges. In other words, restrict security agreements with Swiss companies as much as possible.

But the decision to buy Pilates training aircraft was made a few weeks ago by the Directorate General of Armament (DGA), which chose to contact the Swiss company on July 16.