Switzerland will purchase 36 F-35A Lightning II fighter planes in a potential $6.5 billion deal, the Swiss government and builder Lockheed Martin announced on Wednesday.
The decision by the Swiss Federal Council to buy the planes, and five Patriot missiles from manufacturer Raytheon, will go before the Swiss parliament for expected approval.
The F-35 beat out competitors that included Boeing's F/A-18, Dassault's Rafale and the Airbus Eurofighter for consideration.
The council cited the F-35's superior upfront purchase cost, as well as its operating costs, as among its reasons for the selection — although the cost of maintaining the U.S. military fleet of F-35s has been a regular cause of concern in Congress.
"The candidate promising the highest benefit was also the one priced the lowest," a statement on Wednesday by the Swiss council said in part. "In the case of the fighter aircraft, this candidate is the F-35A."
The council was operating under a $6.5 billion cap for procurement of the new aircraft — the F-35s were estimated to cost about $5.5 billion in February when bids were submitted — and operating costs expected to be about $2.1 billion less than the second-lowest bidder.
"The F-35A also has the lowest operating costs of all of the candidates evaluated," it added. "The total costs of the F-35A — i.e. procurement plus operating costs — amounts to approximately [$16.77 billion] over 30 years."
The council also said it was impressed with the F-35A's level of "data autonomy," noting that "the security of its computer architecture and its cyber protection measures combine to ensure an especially high level of cybersecurity."
Switzerland is a neutral country, not a NATO member and does not manufacture any F-35 components — which experts say makes the choice of the F-35 a win for Lockheed Martin and the beleaguered plane.
Although it is regarded as the best of all available fighter planes, an April report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office noted a continuous increase in the expected lifetime costs of the aircraft.
The Defense Department plans to acquire nearly 2,500 F-35s at a cost of $400 billion, and GAO reported that expected costs of sustainment for the planes' 66-year service life have increased to $1.27 trillion from their $1.11 trillion estimate in 2012.
The plane is a single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft intended for air superiority and strike missions. It has electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
"We are honored to be selected by Switzerland and look forward to partnering with the Swiss government, public, air force and industry to deliver and sustain the F-35 aircraft," Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, said in a press release.
"With the selection, Switzerland will become the 15th nation to join the F-35 program of record, joining several European nations in further strengthening global airpower and security," Lauderdale said.
