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Old 18th Dec 2019, 03:04
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cxorcist
 
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It’s a fact that Swiss defense spending as a proportion of the GDP is much more robust than most of its European neighbors, and I admire the country’s high gun ownership rate. 30 F/A-18C is not bad for a small country, assuming proper avionics upgrades and training. The bankers’ hours on alert response is embarrassing, but I understand the budget arguments given the logistics and geography. That said, those are pretty tired Hornets, and the Swiss really do need a modernization plan imo. I would probably buy 12-18 F-35 and transition some Hornets to non-flying spares and/or adversary aircraft. Not cheap, but it’s a force multiplier with stealth technologies and self-escort/strike capabilities. It’s biggest weaknesses are speed and range which isn’t really a problem in Switzerland.
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