ZURICH, May 13 (Reuters) - Switzerland said on Wednesday it will look into whether to buy air-defence systems from other suppliers, after the United States informed it that long-delayed Patriot missile systems will be held up further because of the war in Iran.
Switzerland ordered the five Patriot missile-defence systems in 2022 with an initial expectation they would be supplied in 2026-2028, a timeline that has already slipped by four to five years because of the war in Ukraine.
The government said
it had now been told by Washington that the Iran war would lead to additional delays and cost increases, with a delay of five to seven years now to be expected.
"All options would lead to delivery delays as well as substantial additional costs," the government said.
Switzerland expects to receive feedback by the end of the month from five additional suppliers of long-range ground-based air-defence systems, the government said. It did not identify the suppliers but said they came from Germany, France, Israel and South Korea. It said it would prefer if the systems are produced in Europe.
The governing Federal Council is expected to decide on next steps in the coming months, the statement added.
The Swiss government said in April that terminating the Patriot purchase was an option.
The price for the five Patriot systems could double from 2.3 billion Swiss francs ($2.9 billion) to 4.6 billion francs, Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger said, citing informed sources.
Swiss procurement agency armasuisse and the Pentagon did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the report.
Reuters reported last month that the U.S. had informed European counterparts of likely delays in previously contracted weapons deliveries, as the Iran war continues to draw on weapons stocks.
(Reporting by Ariane Luthi and Kirsti KnolleEditing by Matthias Williams and Peter Graff)
