July 7, 2025|
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|5 months agoSwiss Defense Ministry Considers Abandoning Troubled Drone Program
After repeated delays and technical failures, Swiss military officials contemplate cancelling major drone procurement project with Israeli company Elbit.
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Generated IllustrationKey Takeaways
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- The Swiss Defence Ministry (DDPS) is actively considering cancelling the drone procurement project with Elbit.
- National Armaments Director Urs Loher cited the 'last straw' as the reason for this potential cancellation.
- The specific technical failure involves the automatic landing system.
- Elbit Systems missed three distinct deadlines for the landing system: the original September date, an extended January date, and a final September 30 deadline.
- Urs Loher predicts that cancelling the contract will lead to counterclaims from Elbit.
By The Numbers
3
major deadlines missed
100%
uncertainty of legal outcome
They Said
"We have reached a point where the question arises as to whether the famous last straw has broken the camel’s back."
"These two milestones were not met either."