List of aircraft of the Swiss Air Force

Since its formation, the Swiss Air Force has used a number of different aircraft.

Aircraft

[edit]

Current inventory

[edit]
A F-5E Tiger II flies by at the 2012 Axalp live fire event
An F/A-18C taking off from Payerne Air Base
An AS532 Cougar helicopter
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Combat aircraft
F-5 Tiger II United States light fighter F-5E 18[1] 6 assigned to the Patrouille Suisse[2]
F/A-18 Hornet United States multirole F/A-18C 25[1]
F-35 Lightning II United States stealth multirole F-35A 0[3] 36 on order[1] - F/A-18 replacement
Transport
Pilatus PC-6 Switzerland utility / transport 14[1] STOL capable aircraft
Bombardier Challenger 600 Canada VIP / MEDEVAC CL604 2[1]
Bombardier Global 7500 Canada VIP 1[4]
Dassault Falcon 900 France VIP 900EX 1[5]
Cessna Citation Excel United States VIP 560XL 1[6]
Super King Air United States Transport/photomapping 300C 1[1] operated for the Swiss Office of Topography
DHC-6 Twin Otter Canada photomapping 1[1] operated for the Swiss Office of Topography[7]
Pilatus PC-12 Switzerland FLORAKO test flights / transport 1[8] Armasuisse
Diamond DA42 Twin Star Austria/United States Test aircraft MPP Centaur OPA 1[9] Armasuisse
Helicopters
Aérospatiale AS 332M1 Super Puma France utility / SAR TH06 15[10]
Eurocopter AS532 Cougar France utility / SAR AS532UL[11] 10[12]
Eurocopter EC635 France utility / VIP EC635 P2+ 19[13] 2 configured for VIP

1 lost in 2024[14]

Trainer aircraft
Pilatus PC-7 Switzerland trainer 27[1]
Pilatus PC-21 Switzerland primary trainer 7[1]
F-5 Tiger II United States conversion trainer F-5F 5[1]
F/A-18 Hornet United States conversion trainer F/A-18D 5[1]
Pilatus PC-9 Switzerland target tug/trainer PC-9/F 4[15]
UAV
KZD-85 Switzerland Target drone 41[16][17] in service from 1985
Elbit Hermes 900 Israel surveillance 2[18] 4 on order[19]

Retired

[edit]
A Messerschmitt 109 on display at the flight museum in Dübendorf, Switzerland
A vintage Dewoitine D.27 restored to flying condition
A de Havilland Venom in a diorama setting at the Flieger-Flab-Museum
The sole example of an AS365 Dauphin in VIP configuration
A BAE Hawk landing at Buochs, Switzerland
A Swiss Hawker Hunter
A EKW C-35 multipurpose biplane
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Combat aircraft
Mirage III France fighter IIIS 30[20] retired in 1999
P-51 Mustang United States fighter 131[21] in service from 1949 to 1957
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 France fighter 322[22] in service from 1939 to 1956
Messerschmitt Bf 109 Germany fighter 129[23] in service from 1939 to 1949
Dewoitine D.27 France fighter 66[24] in service from 1928 to 1944
Hanriot HD.1 France fighter 16[25] in service from 1921 to 1930
Nieuport 28 France fighter 15[26] in service from 1918 to 1930
Potez 25 France bomber 2[27] in service from 1938 to 1944
de Havilland Mosquito United Kingdom bomber 2[28] in service from 1944 to 1954
de Havilland Vampire United Kingdom fighter-bomber 182[29] in service from 1946 to 1990
de Havilland Venom United Kingdom fighter-bomber F.50/54 226[30] in service from 1954 to 1984
Hawker Hunter United Kingdom fighter-bomber TF.58 125[20] retired from service 1994
Reconnaissance
ADS-95 Switzerland Reconnaissance UAV 28 (2 crashed) Retired November 2019[31]
Mirage III France reconnaissance IIIRS 18[20] retired in 1999
de Havilland Venom United Kingdom reconnaissance F.50/54 32[30] in service from 1956 to 1987
EKW C-36 Switzerland reconnaissance 160[32] in service from 1942 to 1987
Fokker C.V Netherlands reconnaissance 64[33] in service from 1927 to 1954
EKW C-35 Switzerland reconnaissance 160[34] in service from 1937 to 1954
Häfeli DH-5 Switzerland reconnaissance 80[35] in service from 1922 to 1940
Häfeli DH-3 Switzerland reconnaissance 109[35] in service from 1917 to 1939
Häfeli DH-1 Switzerland reconnaissance 6[35] in service from 1916 to 1919
Piper Super Cub United States observation 6[36] in service from 1948 to 1975
Fieseler Fi 156 Germany observation 5[37] in service from 1940 to 1963
Potez 25 France observation 17[27] in service from 1927 to 1940
Dornier Do 27 Germany communications 3[20] retired in 2005
Messerschmitt Bf 108 Germany communications 18[38] in service from 1938 to 1959
Beechcraft Twin Bonanza United States communications 3[20] in service from 1957 to 1989
Transport
Dassault Falcon 50 France VIP 1[39] replaced by a Falcon 900EX in 2013
Beechcraft 1900 United States VIP 1 replaced by two CL604 in 2020
Learjet 35 United States VIP 2[20] in service from 1987 to 2006
Junkers Ju 52 Germany transport 3[40] in service from 1939 to 1981
Beechcraft Expeditor United States transport 3[41] in service from 1948 to 1969
Siebel Si 204 Germany transport 1[42] in service from 1945 to 1955
Messerschmitt M 18 Germany transport 4[43] in service from 1929 to 1954
Pilatus PC-24 Switzerland VIP PC-24 1[44] in service from 2019 to 2022
Helicopters
AS365 Dauphin France VIP 1[45] retired in 2009
Aérospatiale Alouette II France utility / SAR 30[20]
Aérospatiale Alouette III France utility / liaison 76[20] replaced by the Eurocopter EC635[46]
Sud-Ouest Djinn France light utility 4[47] in service from 1958 to 1964
Hiller UH-12 United States observation 3[48] in service from 1952 -1962
Trainer aircraft
BAE Hawk United Kingdom primary trainer Hawk 66 19[49] 18 surviving aircraft sold to Finland in 2008[50]
Mirage III France conversion trainer IIIBS/DS 2/2[20] retired in 2003
Pilatus P-3 Switzerland trainer 60[20] retired in 1995
Hawker Hunter United Kingdom conversion trainer T.68 7[20] retired in 1994
de Havilland Vampire United Kingdom jet trainer T.55 35[20] retired in 1990
Pilatus P-2 Switzerland trainer 55[51] in service from 1945 to 1981
Beechcraft MQM-61 Cardinal United States Target UAV 10 retired in 1965
Bücker Bü 131 Germany trainer 94[52] in service from 1936 to 1971
North American Harvard Canada trainer IIB 40[53] in service from 1948 to 1968
Bücker Bü 133 Germany trainer 52[54] in service from 1937 to 1968
Focke-Wulf Germany trainer 1[55] in service from 1945 to 1953
Nardi FN.315 Italy trainer 2[56] in service from 1944 to 1948
Dewoitine D.26 France trainer 11[24] in service from 1931 to 1948
Morane-Saulnier MS.229 France trainer 2[57] in service from 1931 to 1941
Nieuport 28 France trainer 5[58] in service from 1917 to 1921
UAV
RUAG Ranger ADS 90 Switzerland surveillance ? in service from 1988 to 1999
RUAG Ranger ADS 95 Switzerland surveillance 28 in service from 1999 to 2019

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hoyle, Craig (2023). "World Air Forces 2024". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Northrop F-5E Tiger II". 2 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016.
  3. ^ Jennings, Gareth (20 September 2022). "Switzerland signs for F-35s". janes.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  4. ^ news, Avia (20 December 2024). "Le Global 7500 est arrivé à Payerne !". Avia news (in French). Retrieved 22 December 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ "Dassault Falcon 900EX". .lw.admin.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Cessna 560 XL Citation Excel". .lw.admin.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Federal Office of Topography". swisstopo.admin.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  8. ^ "Pilatus PC-12". vtg.admin.ch. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Diamond DA42 Centaur OPA". vtg.admin.ch. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Aérospatiale AS 332M1 Super Puma (TH06)". vtg.admin.ch. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  11. ^ "AS532 Cougar". .lw.admin.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Eurocopter AS532UL Cougar Mk 1". vtg.admin.ch. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Eurocopter EC635". vtg.admin.ch. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Swiss army helicopter crashed in Alpnachstad". 7 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Pilatus PC-9". vtg.admin.ch. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  16. ^ "KZD 85 Drones-cibles 1985". vtg.admin.ch. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Kleinzieldrohne 1985". lw.admin.ch. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  18. ^ Keystone-SDA/ac. "Switzerland takes delivery of controversial Israeli surveillance drones". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  19. ^ Keystone-SDA/ac. "Switzerland takes delivery of controversial Israeli surveillance drones". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "World Air Forces 1987 pg. 92". Flightglobal Insight. 1987. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  21. ^ "P-51 Mustang". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  22. ^ "Morane Saulnier". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  23. ^ "Messerschmitt Me 109". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  24. ^ a b "Dewoitine". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  25. ^ "Hanriot HD-1". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  26. ^ "Nieuport". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  27. ^ a b "Potez L-25". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  28. ^ "de Havilland Mosquito". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  29. ^ "de havilland Vampire". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  30. ^ a b "DH Venom". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  31. ^ Das ist die neue Aufklärungsdrohne der Schweiz
  32. ^ "EKW C-36". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  33. ^ "Fokker C.V". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  34. ^ "EKW C-35". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  35. ^ a b c "Häfeli". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  36. ^ "Piper Super Cub". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  37. ^ "Fieseler Fi 156". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  38. ^ "Messerschmitt Bf 108", Ausgemusterte Flugzeuge (in German)
  39. ^ "Falcon-50". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  40. ^ "Junkers Ju 52", Ausgemusterte Flugzeuge (in German)
  41. ^ "Beechcraft Expeditor", Ausgemusterte Flugzeuge (in German)
  42. ^ "Siebel Si 204", Ausgemusterte Flugzeuge (in German)
  43. ^ "BFW-18]", Ausgemusterte Flugzeuge (in German)
  44. ^ "Pilatus delivers PC-24 to Swiss government". FlightGlobal. 19 February 2019.
  45. ^ "Dauphin 2 SA365N", Ausgemusterte Flugzeuge (in German)
  46. ^ "Swiss air force gets final EC635". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  47. ^ "SO. 1221S Djinn". hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  48. ^ "UH-12". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  49. ^ "World Air forces 1995 pg. 57". Flightglobal Insight. 1994. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  50. ^ "BAE Hawk 66". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  51. ^ "Pilatus P-2". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  52. ^ "Bücke". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  53. ^ "American Harvard". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  54. ^ "Bücke". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  55. ^ "focke-wulf-fw-44f". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  56. ^ "Nardi FN.315". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  57. ^ "Morane Saulnier MS-229". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  58. ^ "Nieuport C.1". old.hermannkeist.ch. Retrieved 12 June 2015.