The popular initiative against the combat aircraft funding was approved on 27 September 2020 with 50.1% Yes -- the narrowest result of a federal vote in decades. The margin was approximately 8,700 votes [92]. The vote concerned a planning decision for the procurement of new combat aircraft up to a maximum of CHF 6 billion -- not a specific aircraft type.
The Control Committees of both chambers scrutinised the pricing and evaluation process in detail. Key points:
The question of whether the Federal Council negotiated a fixed price for the F-35A became one of the central political controversies of the procurement.
| Aspect | Federal Council Position | Opposition Criticism |
|---|---|---|
| Price commitment | "Binding maximum price" of CHF 6.035 billion | Not a true fixed price, but a cost ceiling |
| Contract type | FMS with price cap | FMS system fundamentally allows additional claims |
| Exchange rate | Rate frozen at the time of the offer | Dollar fluctuation risk not eliminated |
| Inflation | Inflation factored into the price | US inflation could exceed the framework |
Chronology of the debate:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 2021 | Federal Council announces type selection with "fixed price" of CHF 6.035 billion |
| Autumn 2021 | Media investigations question the fixed-price concept in the FMS context |
| 2022 | Federal Councillor Amherd clarifies: "price ceiling" rather than a classic fixed price |
| 2022 | Control Committee demands access to contract details |
| 2022--2023 | SFAO examines contract clauses and pricing mechanisms |
| 2023 | Parliamentary motions on cost transparency |
| 2023--2024 | Lockheed Martin confirms price commitment within the agreed framework |
The SFAO, as an independent supervisory body, has produced several audit reports on the F-35 procurement:
| Period | Position |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Approval of the commitment credit of CHF 6 billion as an upper limit |
| 2021 | Acknowledgement of the type selection; demand for regular reporting |
| 2022 | Review of the procurement contract; note on exchange rate hedging |
| 2023 | Monitoring of payment flows and offset progress |
| 2024 | Reporting on cost stability and delivery schedule compliance |
[91] SFAO: Risk Management Air2030 -- armasuisse (EFK-21410)
[92] GPK-N: Report on the Evaluation Process for the New Combat Aircraft (PDF, 9.9.2022)
[93] GPK-N: Media Release -- Evaluation Process Lawful (9.9.2022)
On 27 September 2020, the Swiss electorate approved the planning resolution for the procurement of new combat aircraft with 50.1% yes votes -- the narrowest result in the history of Swiss security policy (Federal Chancellery, Popular Vote 27.09.2020). The electorate voted on a financial framework of a maximum of 6 billion francs, not on a specific aircraft type (Parliament: Business 19.039).
The parliamentary opposition formulated precise warnings about the risks of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procedure as early as 2021:
Interpellation 21.4116 -- Fixed Price or Target Prices? National Councillor Franziska Roth (SP/SO) asked whether the US government could only agree on "best possible estimated target prices." The Federal Council's response is to be assessed as politically fateful from the perspective of 2025: "Inflation (price increases) is factored into the fixed price." This statement suggested absolute price certainty, which does not factually exist in the FMS system (Parliament: Interpellation 21.4116).
Interpellation 21.3148 -- ITAR Dependency: Priska Seiler Graf (SP/ZH) described the F-35 as a "flying computer" embedded in a US structure (Parliament: Interpellation 21.3148).
Interpellation 21.4546 -- Pilot Training: Roth addressed the hidden operating costs and the dependency on US training facilities (Parliament: Interpellation 21.4546).
Question 22.7482 -- Kerosene Costs: Roth criticized the army dispatch, which calculated with 1.32 francs per liter of kerosene -- "sensationally low" and unrealistic (Parliament: Question 22.7482).
The Army Dispatch 2022 contained the commitment credit of CHF 6.035 billion for 36 F-35A as well as CHF 1.987 billion for the Patriot system (Parliament: Business 22.005).
Council of States Debate (2 June 2022): Josef Dittli (FDP/UR) coined the dictum: "There is no alternative to the F-35." The Council of States decided 31 to 12 to instruct the Federal Council to sign the contract by the end of March 2023 -- deliberately before a possible popular vote on the "Stop F-35" initiative (Official Bulletin SR).
National Council Debate (15 September 2022): Mauro Tuena (SVP/ZH) presented a letter from the US Embassy as proof of the fixed price. Priska Seiler Graf warned prophetically: "The damage to direct democracy will haunt us for a long time." Result: 124 yes to 66 no (Official Bulletin NR; Final Vote).
On 1 July 2025, the Control Committee of the National Council (GPK-N) decided on a formal inspection regarding the fixed price question. The investigation examines whether deficiencies in the Federal Council's conduct of business can be identified in the contract negotiations. The Swiss Federal Audit Office (EFK) had already warned in 2022 that no fixed price could be derived from the contracts (Parliament: GPK-N Media Release).
The Finance Committee of the National Council (FK-N) expressed its concern on 2 September 2025 about "indefinite delays" and "additional costs" (FK-N Media Release). During question time, the Federal Council had to face the question: "F-35: When will the Federal Council finally decide on how to proceed in this procurement scandal?" (Question 25.8128).
On 12 December 2025, the Federal Council decided to procure fewer than 36 F-35A. Defence Minister Martin Pfister: "For fiscal reasons, it is not possible to maintain the originally planned number of 36 F-35." (Federal Council, 12.12.2025).
A systematic documentation of all Federal Council responses to F-35-related parliamentary affairs -- with the complete original texts of questions and answers -- can be found on the page Federal Council Responses on F-35 Procurement.