- The US is pushing for Switzerland to bear an additional 650 million to 1.3 billion Swiss francs
- The council is prioritising the F-35A due to its "significant technological advantage"
- The F-35A was chosen over competing models from Airbus, Boeing, and Dassault
Switzerland vowed Wednesday to continue its attempts to buy F-35A fighter jets from the United States, despite spiralling expense.
The US is pushing for Switzerland to bear extra costs for producing the jets of between 650 million and 1.3 billion Swiss francs ($807 million-$1.6 billion) on a contract worth six billion Swiss francs, but the Swiss want to agree on a fixed price.
The Swiss Federal Council said "intensive discussions" between the two countries had shown the US was "not prepared to deviate from its position".
The council said the final price of the procurement would depend on factors including US inflation, commodity prices and US tariffs.
"The Federal Council remains committed to procuring the F-35A," the council said, insisting the jets had "significant technological advantage over other aircraft".
The council said it had asked the defence department to review all the available options and report back by November.
The government won a referendum in September 2020 by a razor-thin margin that approved the military spending of six billion Swiss francs on a new fleet.
The F-35A, used by the US Air Force and several European countries, was chosen in June 2021 over competitors from Airbus, Boeing and Dassault.
The first deliveries are due in 2027.
Switzerland's long-standing position has been one of well-armed military neutrality, and the country has mandatory conscription for men.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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