Military drones of its own: Switzerland brings industry and DDPS to a roundtable

Representatives of industry and of the DDPS (Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport) were guests at a roundtable on drones hosted on 9 July by Armasuisse, the Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement. Switzerland's aim is to be able to deploy various military drones from domestic production in larger numbers in the near future. The aim is to counter threats and strengthen the defence capability of the Swiss Armed Forces.

The meeting in Bern was chaired by Thomas Rothacher, Deputy Chief of Armament and head of the Drones Task Force. Participants discussed whether Switzerland can independently develop small and medium-sized drones capable of carrying out attack and reconnaissance missions from the air.

This is in line with the armed forces' “Vision 2030”: defence capability is to be strengthened so that Switzerland can successfully prevent or repel potential attacks.

Greater defence capability, a strong domestic industry

The open exchange was intended to involve the partners in the discussion on drone development. Open questions and challenges were raised; in addition, objectives and requirements for drone operations were recorded and possible forms of cooperation explored.

The core idea is to involve the partners in supplying subcomponents or complete systems, or in providing test and training opportunities. This is also intended to strengthen Switzerland's security-relevant technology and industrial base (STIB), while reducing dependence on foreign suppliers and supply bottlenecks.

Task force to advance military drones in Switzerland

The DDPS set up the Drones Task Force in June 2024 – against the backdrop of growing threats and ongoing conflicts worldwide. It is led by the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse. The task force places particular importance on making Swiss drone development as self-sufficient as possible. As the next step, the results of the roundtable will feed into an implementation concept. If all goes to plan, first troop trials of Swiss-built drones are to follow from 2025.