US diverts Patriot systems from Switzerland to Ukraine

COLOGNE, Germany — U.S. officials have told the Swiss government that Patriot air defense systems in the production pipeline for the alpine country would be diverted to help defend Ukraine, according to a Swiss announcement.

The July 17 statement by the Swiss, which said the notification from the United States arrived the prior day, illuminates some of the hasty mechanics behind Washington’s newfound emphasis on helping Ukraine repel near-constant Russian attacks with missiles and drones.

Switzerland ordered five Patriot systems, made by Ratheon, in 2022. Deliveries were set begin in 2026 and go through 2028.

The U.S. foreign military process, which governs the sale, makes the diversion of defense goods possible, the Swiss announcement notes. No information was available about how many systems would be affected and what the new timing for future deliveries would be.

Switzerland’s Patriot pick was part of a lengthy air-defense and air-policing review by the government that also led to an order of 36 U.S. F-35 fighter aircraft.

Last year, the United States told Switzerland that a batch of ordered PAC-3 MSE interceptors, the most advanced interceptors fireable with Patriot, would similarly be diverted to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Germany this week offered to buy two Patriot systems from the U.S. and give them to Ukraine. One Patriot setup costs roughly $1 billion, depending on the number of interceptors, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit to Washington on July 14.

Details for the purchase are now under discussion with the U.S. administration, Pistorius said following talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Outstanding questions surrounding the transaction are all “solvable,” he added.

Speaking at the LandEuro conference in Wiesbaden, Germany, on July 17, top NATO commander U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich signaled a new dynamic in supplying Kyiv with the defensive weapons .

Grynkewich said he would bring European nations together to work on delivering Patriot and other capabilities to Ukraine. The idea is to “look at what’s the art of the possible” in orchestrating the flow of new production equipment to Ukraine’s defense, he said.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——瑞士方面宣布，美国官员已告知瑞士政府，原计划为瑞士生产的“爱国者”防空系统将转用于帮助保卫乌克兰。

瑞士在 7 月 17 日发表声明称，美国方面的通知在前一天送达。该声明揭示了华盛顿方面新近重视帮助乌克兰抵御俄罗斯几乎持续不断的导弹和无人机袭击背后的一些仓促机制。

瑞士于 2022 年订购了五套由雷神公司制造的“爱国者”导弹防御系统。交付工作将于 2026 年开始，一直持续到 2028 年。

瑞士方面在声明中指出，美国对外军事采购流程（该流程规范军售）使得国防物资的挪用成为可能。目前尚无信息表明有多少系统会受到影响，以及未来交付时间将如何调整。

瑞士选择“爱国者”导弹防御系统是政府对防空和空中警戒系统进行长期评估的一部分，该评估还促成了瑞士订购36架美国F-35战斗机。

去年，美国告诉瑞士，一批订购的 PAC-3 MSE 拦截弹（爱国者导弹系统可发射的最先进的拦截弹）也将转运至乌克兰。

与此同时，德国本周提出从美国购买两套“爱国者”导弹防御系统并移交给乌克兰。德国国防部长鲍里斯·皮斯托瑞斯7月14日访问华盛顿期间表示，一套“爱国者”导弹防御系统的价格约为10亿美元，具体价格取决于拦截导弹的数量。

皮斯托瑞斯在与美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯会谈后表示，目前正在与美国政府商讨收购细节。他还补充说，围绕这笔交易的所有悬而未决的问题都是“可以解决的”。

7 月 17 日，北约最高指挥官、美国空军上将阿莱克西斯·格林克维奇在德国威斯巴登举行的 LandEuro 会议上发表讲话，标志着向基辅提供防御性武器方面出现了一种新的动态。

格林克维奇表示，他将召集欧洲各国共同努力，向乌克兰提供“爱国者”导弹系统和其他国防装备。他说，其理念是“探讨如何才能最有效地”协调向乌克兰国防输送新型生产设备。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。