Switzerland tests the emergency: Given the tense world situation, the air force of our neighboring country has tested its capabilities for a possible war and is training to take off and land on a highway in Payerne.
On a highway bridge in the middle of the fields and with a clear smell of manure in the air, the deputy commander of the air force, Christian Oppliger, gave a first positive assessment of the so-called ‘Alpha Uno capability check’ on Wednesday.
Landed on the highway at 260 km/h
The F/A-18 pilots made perfect landings, he said. The machines had a landing speed of approximately 260 kilometers per hour. The highway section near Payerne, south of Lake Neuchâtel, had been closed for several kilometers since the evening before. The guard rails had been removed and the track had been cleaned several times before the start, cannon fire was supposed to scare away birds.
The last exercise of this type by the Swiss Air Force took place in 1991 in the canton of Ticino. Before the end of the Cold War, such exercises were regularly held every few years. Now the threat situation has changed significantly, Brigadier General Oppliger said: “The air force must be prepared for anything.” It is no longer just about defense, but also about combating enemy surface air systems. The air force wants to be able to keep opponents up to 100 kilometers outside the country’s borders. The purpose of the exercise was also to test how quickly the air force could deploy elsewhere after a possible first attack on military airfields.
Switzerland is a neutral country that does not participate in acts of war and does not supply the warring parties with materials. This also applies to Ukraine. The concept is ‘defensive Switzerland’, which can defend itself in the event of an attack and repel attacks. In 2022, a procurement contract was signed with the US government for 36 modern F-35A fighter aircraft. The first copies will be delivered in 2027.
Source: Krone
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