Switzerland will land fighter jets on highways to test its defenses

If Switzerland shows neutrality, this does not prevent the country from having an army and even wanting to strengthen its military capabilities to defend its territory. In June, the country’s air force will conduct a kind of military exercise. In the canton of Vaud (Switzerland), a section of the A1 motorway will be closed to allow the air force to test its defense system by taking off and landing F/A-18 combat aircraft in this direction.

Because of its size, the country faces a strategic challenge. Apart from the Dübendorf, Alpnach and Locarno sites, intended for the transfer of military personnel, the Air Force currently has only three bases from which combat aircraft can take off: Payerne, Emmen and Meiringen.

Imitation of the French attack in 2013.

“The Air Force’s assets are therefore concentrated in a limited number of assets, making them vulnerable to long-range weapons systems,” the military explains, adding: “With the deteriorating security situation in Europe, airspace protection is a key element of defense capability. The air force must also be able to deploy its assets from other installations or even, depending on the circumstances. »

For several years, the air force trained to distribute troops and equipment throughout the country in a very short time. They had previously conducted similar tests in the 1970s and 1980s with Hunter and F5-Tiger combat aircraft on highway sections located in the Plateau region.

Regularly, the Swiss General Staff is full of imagination in its military exercises. In 2012, the Swiss army imagined during its military exercises that Europe would descend into chaos due to the collapse of the euro and a massive influx of refugees into the small Swiss Confederation. This simulation went around the world, causing talk even in the American press. The following year, the Army simulated for its tank brigades in French-speaking Switzerland nothing less than a French attack on the Confederacy.