Patrouille Suisse was founded 60 years ago
Published: Sunday, Aug 11th 2024, 09:40
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The official Swiss aerobatic team Patrouille Suisse celebrates its 60th anniversary on August 22. As an ambassador for the Swiss Air Force, the flying squadron has been thrilling audiences at home and abroad with its demonstrations for decades. But its future is uncertain.
Patrouille Suisse was founded on August 22, 1964 as a formation of four Hunter fighter planes, as the "Aargauer Zeitung" wrote in April. In view of the Expo 64 national exhibition in Lausanne and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Swiss Air Force, training with the Hunter double patrol was intensified.
The aerial acrobats quickly made a name for themselves and were promoted by the army, which knew how to use their value for marketing purposes, as the media report went on to say. The media enthusiastically followed the venture from the very beginning.
Patrouille Suisse has been flying the F-5 Tiger since 1995. Six supersonic fighter aircraft are used for the demonstrations, as Patrouille Suisse writes on its website. Unlike many other demonstration teams, the aerobatic team uses a fighter aircraft that is also actively deployed in the Swiss Air Force.
Propeller-driven aircraft in the future?
The future of the aerobatic squadron is a hotly debated topic in politics. In mid-June, the National Council rejected a postulate from its security policy committee. This demanded a report from the national government on the possible continued operation of the aircraft.
The Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) wants to end F-5 operations by the end of 2027. Due to the current financial situation, the army is consistently focusing its money on new systems, it said in a statement.
According to an article in the NZZ newspaper in June, the Tiger will cost 30 million francs a year. Additional investments of nine million francs would be required for longer operation. In addition, personnel and fuel costs would amount to 14 million francs.
A motion by SVP member of the Council of States Werner Salzmann (BE) is currently still pending. It calls for the Patrouille Suisse to be retained as a jet team. According to the politician, the Patrouille Suisse is not a hobby, but strengthens Switzerland's defense capability. It makes an important contribution to deterring potential enemies. In addition, the F-5 aircraft provides important services in the training of pilots, including as a target display for training purposes.
The abolition of the F-5 aircraft means the end of Patrouille Suisse in its current form. "Patrouille Suisse can no longer fly on a jet aircraft if the Tiger is no more," said Air Force Commander Peter Merz to Radio SRF in March.
It is not yet clear what future air shows will look like. One possible option is the deployment of the existing PC-7 team on propeller aircraft.
Aerobatics as a sideline
A large proportion of the F-5 Tigers procured in the 1970s and 1980s have already been sold. A few years ago, the US naval forces purchased 44 F-5 Tigers from Switzerland, which had originally been used by the Swiss Air Force for space protection.
The Swiss Armed Forces still have 25 F-5 Tigers in their inventory, 18 of which are currently in service. According to the Federal Armaments Office Armasuisse, they relieve the F/A-18 Hornet fleet and are used for target presentation, training purposes, as a towing aircraft and for test flights.
Around half of the F-5 Tigers are used by Patrouille Suisse for flight demonstrations. The pilots of the aerobatics squadron come from one of the F/A-18 Hornet front squadrons, as Patrouille Suisse writes. They carry out their duties as display pilots as a secondary activity to their contribution to maintaining air sovereignty and ensuring the air police service over Switzerland. Patrouille Suisse is supervised by a technical crew.
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