Current Status
Through the years the Swiss Air Force traditionally had been a militia-based service, including its pilots, with an inventory of approximately 450 aircraft whose operational service life overlapped several eras. Beginning with its separation from the army in 1966 however, the air force has been down-sizing (currently approximately 230 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft) and moving towards a small professional cadre with fewer reserves and low-graduated conscripted personnel for general tasks. Currently the Swiss Air Force has a peacetime strength of 1600 professional military personnel with the ability to recall to about 20,000 reservists.
Its front-line air defence asset consists of 33 F-18 Hornets and 54 F-5 Tiger IIs (originally 110 purchased in 1978 - 1985). The F/A-18 pilots are all full-time professional military; the F-5 pilots however are reservists. These (mostly airliner or freightliner pilots) do also have an F-5 rating. During certain periods they are being assigned for military duties and have to comply to the operational live flying training. In 2008 the Swiss Hornet component reached the 50,000 flight hour milestone. All Swiss Hornets remain highly capable due to the Upgrade 21 (UG21) programme conducted between 2004 and 2009 at RUAG, while another Mid-Life Update (MLU) will begin shortly.
From 2011 the air force intended to start the Partial F-5 Tiger Replacement programme for 22 new aircraft. Candidate types were the JAS 39 Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale. On 30 November 2011, the Swiss government announced its decision to buy 22 Gripen NG fighters. The contract for the 22 aircraft would total 3.1 billion Swiss francs. On 25 August 2012, the order was confirmed by both the Swedish and Swiss authorities The first aircraft are expected to be delivered in 2018. Eleven current generation (8 JAS 39Cs/3 JAS 39Ds) Gripen fighters will be leased from 2016 to 2020 in order to train Swiss fighter pilots while avoiding expensive upkeep of the current F-5s.
On 10 December 2010, the last 20 aging Aérospatiale Alouette III were replaced by two VIP configuration Eurocopter EC135s and 18 EC635s. The first EC-635 was delivered in 2008.
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