With Patriot deliveries to Europe postponed, will Switzerland have to look for an alternative?

In July 2025, in Bern, the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) announced the postponement of deliveries of Patriot missile systems ordered in 2022, a consequence of the American decision to prioritize Ukraine. Switzerland had been counting on a gradual integration between 2026 and 2028 to equip its air defenses with a credible capability. This decision comes amid a context of strained interceptor stocks in the United States, with allocations reserved for priority needs. Berlin illustrates this pressure by retaining only six Patriot systems on its soil after transfers to Kyiv and Warsaw. For Switzerland, the uncertainty now concerns the protection of critical sites against Russian ballistic missile threats and cruise missile strikes.

At the European level, area air defense has coalesced around the Patriot, while the SAMP/T remains limited to fifteen batteries. This standard is due to operational experience, previous budgetary decisions, and shorter lead times obtained from American manufacturers. The American industrial base has not absorbed the surge in demand, despite more than 500 PAC-3s being produced in 2024 and a target of 650 per year pushed back to 2027. Several countries are therefore re-evaluating their supply dependencies, with European options being highlighted to limit exposure to American priorities. In Switzerland, Armasuisse has suspended payments pending a new schedule in order to secure contractual visibility.

The Patriot system is becoming the standard in Europe for the defense of major cities and sensitive sites.

In Europe, high-intensity air defense has largely been organized around the Patriot, which has become the standard for protecting major urban areas and sensitive sites. To date, more than 120 batteries are in service worldwide, compared to only 15 SAMP/T systems. In Ukraine, Patriot batteries primarily protect major cities and critical positions against Russian ballistic missiles. Since April 2023, US-made systems have arrived in Ukraine from Germany, with three batteries delivered and an undisclosed number of interceptors.