List of aircraft of the Swiss Air Force

Since its formation, the Swiss Air Force has used a number of different aircraft.

Detailed list of current inventory

Fixed-wing aircraft ModelVariantImageOriginTypeQuantity acquiredIn service sinceQuantity in 2025NotesCombat aircraftF/A-18 HornetF/A-18CMultirole combat aircraft26199725Acquired with the Armament Programme 1992. 26 ordered, 1 aircraft assembled in the US, 25 in Switzerland.

1 lost in a crash in 2016.F-5 TigerF-5E Tiger IILight fighter98197815Acquisitions:

66 ordered in 1975 32 ordered in 1981

A part of the fleet was made under licence in Switzerland.

Among the 18 operational, 6 are in use with the Patrouille Suisse as of 2025.

60 Sold to the USA:

44 in 2008 to the US Navy 16 sold in 2020, first delivery in 2024 (E variant)

11 were lost in crashes.Transport aircraftPilatus PC-6 PorterPC-6MSTOL, single-engine, turboprop, transport aircraft18196714 12 manufactured in 1966 6 manufactured in 1975Bombardier Challenger 600 seriesChallenger 604VIP transport aircraft, or MEDEVAC220192Aircraft operated by the Federal Air Transport Service. The aircraft were purchased second hand from the REGA.VIP transport aircraftDassault Falcon 900900EXVIP transport aircraft120131Aircraft operated by the Federal Air Transport Service.Bombardier Global ExpressGlobal 7500VIP transport aircraft120241Aircraft operated by the Federal Air Transport Service. Successor of the Cessna Citation Excel 560XL, ordered in August 2023. Trainer aircraftPilatus PC-7PC-7 WEBasic trainer4019822740 purchased and entered service in the 1980s. 9 aircraft used by the PC-7 Team since 1989.

Modernisations:

28 to the NCPC-7 standard in 2011 27 being modernised as of 2024 by RUAG to the standard PC-7 WEPilatus PC-21—Advanced training aircraft, and Lead-in fighter trainer820087Orders:

6 with the Armament programme 2006 2 with the Armament Programme 2010

Mid-life update contract in 2020 and done by 2024.

The A-105 was damaged in 2023.F-5 TigerF-5F Tiger IIConversion training aircraft1219784Acquisitions:

6 ordered in 1975 6 ordered in 1981

A part of the fleet was made under licence in Switzerland.

Resale:

6 sold in 2020 (F variant)F/A-18 HornetF/A-18DConversion training aircraft819975Acquired with the Armament Programme 1992. 8 ordered, 1 aircraft assembled in the US, 7 in Switzerland.

3 lost in crashes:

1 in March 1998 1 in October 2013 1 in October 2015 Special role aircraftBeechcraft Super King AirModel 350C Super King AirCartography / mapping aircraft (transport aircraft as secondary role)119931Operated by the air force, for Swisstopo.De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterDHC-6-300Cartography / mapping aircraft (transport aircraft as secondary role)119761Operated by the air force, for Swisstopo. New sensor since 2017, the ADS100. Armasuisse test aircraftDiamond DA42DA42 Centaur OPATest aircraft120121Aircraft operated by Armasuisse. Optionally piloted aircraft developed by Aurora Flight Sciences (US company), usable as ISR aircraft.

Used for flight trials in profit of the ADS 15 UAV.Pilatus PC-6 Porter—Test aircraft (transport aircraft as secondary role)119671Aircraft operated by Armasuisse. Used for transmission trials, for flight data registration.Pilatus PC-12PC-12MTest aircraft (transport aircraft as secondary role)120011Aircraft operated by Armasuisse. Test aircraft for the FLORAKO system.

Rotary-wing aircraft ModelVariantImageOriginTypeQuantity acquiredIn service sinceQuantity in 2025NotesEurocopter AS332 Super Puma Swiss designation: TH 89/06AS 332M1Transport / utility helicopter15198713Acquisitions:

3 in 1986 12 with the Armament Programme 1989

MLU by RUAG with the Armament Programme 2006, entered service between 2012 and 2014.AS 332M1 Super Puma FLIR Forward looking infraredT-311 with FLIRT-314 with FLIRT-321 with FLIRT-323 with FLIRSAR helicopter Search and rescue020131MLU by RUAG with the Armament Programme 2006, entered service in 2013.Eurocopter AS532 Cougar Swiss designation: TH 98/18AS532UL Cougar Mk1Transport / utility helicopter1220028Ordered with the Armament Programme 1998. 2 made by Eurocopter, 10 assembled by RUAG.

Losses:

1 in 2011 1 in 2016

MLU by RUAG with the Armament Programme 2018, all 9 delivered by 2022.VIP Transport helicopter1Eurocopter EC635 Swiss designation: TH 05EC635 P2+Transport / utility / trainer / SAR20200817Purchased with the Armamament Programme 2005. 2 of the 18 made in Germany, 16 assembled by RUAG.

A helicopter was lost in 2024.VIP Transport helicopter2Purchased with the Armamament Programme 2005. It is operated by the Federal Air Transport Service.

(Registration T-351 / T-352)

Future aircraft ModelVariantImageOriginTypeQuantity acquiredIn service sinceQuantity in 2025NotesCombat aircraftLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIF-35A Block 4 (TR-3 - technological refresh 3)Command vehicle362027 (with the batch 18)0Selected in June 2021 as part of the Air 2030 Programme. The contract was signed in September 2022. Planned production:

4 to 8 by LM in the USA 24 to 28 by Leonardo in Italy 4 by RUAG in Switzerland

The order is part of batch 18. UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles)Elbit Hermes 900ADS 15Fixed-wing UAV, ISR Unmanned aerial vehicle, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance620263Successor of the ADS 95. Order to Elbit and RUAG as part of the Armament Programme 2015.

First two delivered in 2023 for trial. Order of the last four confirmed in September 2025.

Planned investments ProgrammeModelsImageOriginTypeQuantity plannedIn service sinceNotesReplacement of the AS532 Cougar and the AS332 Super PumaAW139Medium transport helicopter—2028 -- 2035To be ordered with an Armament Program from 2028 to 2035.AW149H175H225MNH90

Retired aircraft

Fixed-wing aircraft ModelVariantOriginTypeRoleEntered service in(year)Retired in(year)QuantityNotes Combat aircraftDassault Mirage IIIIIIS (licence)Second generation jet fighterLightweight interceptor1964199936Hawker Hunter Mk 58 First generation jet fighterFighter 19631994100Mk 58AFighter-bomber1972199452Second-hand purchased from the UK.

30 22de Havilland VenomD.H.112 Mk 1 (licence) First generation jet fighterFighter-bomber / night fighter1953 1984126D.H.112 Mk 419561984100P-51 MustangP-51DFighter aircraftInterceptor / fighter-bomber19481957113de Havilland VampireD.H.110 Vampire Mk. 6 First generation jet fighterFighter / fighter-bomber / night fighter1949 199075Orders:

75 in 1948 (licence)19511990100100 ordered in 1950, 3 assembled from spare parts in 1960 Messerschmitt Bf 109Bf 109 D-1 Low-wing monoplaneFighter (training as secondary role)1939 1949 10Bf 109 E-1 / E-3aLow-wing monoplaneFighter1939194880Orders:

30 E-1 in 1939 50 E-1 and E-3aBf 109 E-3a (licence)Low-wing monoplaneFighter1944194891 made from spare parts, 8 made under licence in SwitzerlandBf 109 G-6Low-wing monoplaneFighter194419481412 in 1944, 1 in 1945, 1 in 1946Morane-Saulnier M.S.406MS.406H (licence)Low-wing monoplaneFighter1939 1956322Potez 25BiplaneLight bomber1938 19442Dewoitine D.27D.27 lll-RMonoplane fighterInterceptor1932194415Dewoitine D.27D.27 lll (licence)Monoplane fighterInterceptor1931194465 Hanriot HD.1— BiplaneFighter and combat trainer1921 1930 16Bought second-hand from ItalyNieuport 28C-1 Baby BiplaneFighter and combat trainer1918 193015 ReconnaissanceDassault Mirage IIIIIIRS (licence) Second generation jet fighterAerial reconnaissance1968 200318Beechcraft Twin BonanzaE 50 Twin-engine, low-wing monoplaneLiaison aircraft1957 19893de Havilland VenomD.H.112 Mk 1R (licence)First generation jet fighterAerial reconnaissance1956198424P-51D MustangF-6D and F-6KFighter aircraftAerial reconnaissance1948195715Piper Super Cub observation1948 19756EKW C-36 reconnaissance1942 1987160Fieseler Fi 156observation1940 19635Messerschmitt Bf 108 communications1938 195918EKW C-35 reconnaissance1937 1954160Fokker C.V reconnaissance1927 195464Potez 25 BiplaneObservation / reconnaissance1927 194017Häfeli DH-5 reconnaissance1922 194080Häfeli DH-3 reconnaissance1917 1939109Häfeli DH-1 reconnaissance1916 19196Dornier Do 27 communications20053 Military transportJunkers Ju 52 Transport aircraftMilitary transport1939 19813Beechcraft Model 18C18STransportMilitary transport195219671Beechcraft Model 18C-45F Expeditor TransportMilitary transport1948 19692Siebel Si 204— TransportMilitary transport1945 19551Messerschmitt M 18M 18C TransportMilitary transport1929 19542Messerschmitt M 18M 18DTransportMilitary transport193519541 VIP TransportPilatus PC-24—Business jetVIP2019 20221Purchased new, sold to JoyVida International.Cessna Citation Excel560XLBusiness jetVIP201320251Dassault Falcon 900900EXBusiness jetVIP2013 20251Second-hand from Monaco.Beechcraft 19001900D Business jetVIP200720201Replaced by two CL604.Dassault Falcon 50— Business jetVIP199620131Second-hand. Replaced by the Falcon 900EX. Learjet 35Learjet 35A Business jetVIP19882006 2 Trainer aircraftBAE HawkHawk 66 (assembly)Jet aircraftAdvanced training1990200220Ordered in 1987. 18 sold to Finland in 2007.Dassault Mirage IIIIIIDSSecond generation jet fighterConversion trainer198320032Replacing 2 IIIBS lost by Switzerland.Hawker Hunter Mk 68 (licence) Jet aircraftConversion trainer197619948Based on Mk58A purchased second-hand from the UK. Transformed by to twin-seat trainer.Dassault Mirage III IIIBS (licence)Second generation jet fighterConversion trainer (interceptor)196420034The 2 were lost in trainingde Havilland VampireD.H.115 Mk 11 Jet aircraftConversion trainer195319903D.H.115 Mk 551956199036Orders:

7 in 1955 20 in 1957 9 in 1958Pilatus P-3P-3/03 Low-wing monoplaneBasic trainer1957199212P-3/051959199260P-51D MustangTP-51DFighter aircraftConversion trainer194819572Pilatus P-2P-2/06Low-wing monoplaneAdvanced training194919812626 made between 1948 and 1950P-2/05194719812626 made between 1946 and 1948North American T-6 Texan AT-16 Harvard IIBLow-wing monoplaneIFR training aircraft1948 196840Nardi FN.315—Low-wing monoplaneCombat trainer1944 19482First crashed immediately. Bücker Bü 133 BiplaneCombat trainer1937 196852 Bücker Bü 131 BiplaneCombat trainer1936 197194Dewoitine D.26 (licence)High-wing monoplaneCombat trainer1931 194811Morane-Saulnier MS.229ET2 High-wing monoplaneCombat trainer193119412Nieuport 28 BiplaneCombat trainer1917 19215 Special role aircraftPilatus PC-9PC-9/FLow-wing turpopropTarget tug trainer19882022124 remained in service until 2010Dassault Mirage IIIMirage IIICSecond generation jet fighterEvaluation aircraft / test aircraft196219781Used for evaluation, then for testing by F+W Emmende Havilland VampireD.H.113 NF Mk 10First generation jet fighterTest aircraft / night fighter195819611Radar fighter testingD.H.100 Mk 1First generation jet fighterTest aircraft / target tug trainer194619614Focke-Wulf Fw 44Fw-44F Stieglitz BiplaneTest aircraft / glider towing1945 19531de Havilland Mosquito Low-wing, twin-engine aircraft multi-role fighterTest aircraft1944 19542 Dewoitine D.27— Monoplane fighterTest aircraft / development1928 1936 1 UAVsRUAG Ranger ADS-95—Fixed wing droneISR2001 201928 F+W ADS-90—Fixed wing droneSurveillance1990 19986Farner KZD-85—Fixed wing droneTarget drone1985 202270Beechcraft MQM-61 CardinalKDB-1 Fixed wing droneTarget drone1962196510

Rotary-wing aircraft ModelVariantOriginTypeRoleEntered service in(year)Retired in(year)QuantityNotes HelicoptersHiller UH-12UH-12B HelicopterObservation1952 19623Sud-Ouest Djinn— HelicopterLight utility1958 19644Aérospatiale Alouette II— HelicopterUtility / SAR1959201230 10 purchased in 1958 20 purchased in 1964Aérospatiale Alouette III— HelicopterUtility / liaison1964201084Replaced by the Eurocopter EC635.

9 ordered in 1964, made by Sud Aviation 15 purchased in 1966 60 ordered in 1972, made under licence by Flugzeugwerke Emmen

14 lost in accidents.AS365 DauphinSA 365 N1 HelicopterVIP198420091Aircraft purchased to the standard SA365 N.

References

External links