Swiss War Materiel and Arms Exports

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Swiss Tigers for the US Navy during the Iraq war

Goods category: War materiel

Northrop F-5E Tiger II J-3098 at the museum in Dübendorf.

CC BY-SA 4.0

In 2002, the US Navy initially bought 32 used F-5E Tiger IIs from Swiss army stocks. In spring 2003, the deal was discussed in connection with export restrictions during the Iraq war. Twelve further aircraft were added later. The aircraft were exported to the United States, overhauled by Northrop Grumman and used to represent enemy aircraft in air-combat training. The last of the total of 44 aircraft was handed over to the US Navy in April 2009.

Effect of the proposed War Materiel Act revision

Under the new Article 22b, the Federal Council could depart from all the licensing criteria in Article 22a under vaguely defined ‘exceptional circumstances’. The public would not have to be informed. For the United States, as a current Annex 2 state, Article 22a paragraph 2bis would remove the exclusion criterion based on participation in an armed conflict and make approval the rule. The Federal Council could refuse a licence only in exceptional cases.

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Time period

Purchase in 2002; exports in 2003–2007; last aircraft handed over in the US in 2009

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