DDPS wants to use obsolete air defense equipment for training
Published: Thursday, Mar 28th 2024, 15:10
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The DDPS wants to continue using components of the outdated Rapier air defense system for training. Instead of disposing of the entire system, it is planning to adapt the radar so that the army will soon have a cost-effective and mobile training system.
The Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) came up with the alternative to a scrapyard as part of an investigation into innovative and effective solutions, as it announced on Thursday. Disposing of everything would have been tantamount to a missed opportunity.
In the Low Cost Training Emitter project, the DDPS is now pursuing the goal of using the Rapier search radar to display ground threats when training fighter planes, helicopters and others. The Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse) is to adapt two radar systems accordingly and retain another as a spare parts store. In addition, spare parts that are still available will not end up on the scrap heap.
The Rapier air defense system went into service with the troops from 1984 to 1986. The Swiss Army had a total of 60 of these systems in use. The purchase, approved in the 1980 armaments program, cost around 1.4 billion Swiss francs. According to the DDPS, the system has since lost its effectiveness. In 2020, Parliament took the decision to decommission it. The disposal process began in February 2023.
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