Aircraft noise remains about the same with F-35A fighter jets as with F/A-18s
Published: Thursday, Dec 7th 2023, 21:20
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Aircraft noise pollution with the new F-35A fighter jets will remain roughly the same as with the old F/A-18 model. The DDPS has informed the affected communities about future noise emissions.
In Meiringen BE there was a slight decrease in noise pollution, in Payerne VD it was slightly higher and in Emmen LU it remained more or less the same. These results were presented to the media by the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) in Bern on Tuesday.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the local authorities were informed at information events about the available results and the further procedure for adapting the military sectoral plan.
Optimization of the airspeed
The Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) is striving to keep noise pollution at military airfields as low as possible. For this reason, the Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse) has carried out various analyses to minimize aircraft noise pollution caused by the operation of the new F-35A fighter jet in Switzerland.
The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), the Swiss Air Force and aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin were also involved. According to the press release, the team analyzed, for example, the optimization of flight geometries and flight speed.
According to the press release, various take-off procedures were evaluated together with the manufacturer - on the one hand with regard to optimum climb angles in connection with noise pollution and on the other hand their suitability for flying. Various take-off procedure scenarios were then compared with Empa in terms of their impact on aircraft noise. This should enable the most suitable procedures to be selected.
Empa is carrying out extensive calculations based on these principles, which are necessary for the creation of future noise pollution registers. These results took into account the spatial and temporal distribution of flight movements and, in addition to the future flight movements of the F-35A, also included all military and civilian flight operations.
For the introduction of the F-35A, the object sheets of the three Swiss military airfields in Meiringen, Payerne and Emmen must be adapted in the military sector plan and the permissible noise pollution must be defined. The adjustment will be decided by the Federal Council after consultation with the cantons and municipalities and with the involvement of the population and will be binding on the authorities. The permissible noise pollution will be determined by the DDPS following a public consultation in the planning approval procedure and will be binding for everyone.
Planning approval procedure until the end of 2024
The DDPS General Secretariat is conducting a coordination process for each military airfield in advance. Coordination with the municipalities and cantonal authorities will take place in parallel with the preparation of the object sheets and the documents for the planning approval procedure by the end of 2024.
The predecessor F/A-18 fighter jets have been in operation since 1997; 30 of the 34 aircraft purchased are still in service. They were originally due to be decommissioned in 2025. However, they will now fly until the 36 new F-35A fighter jets have been delivered and will be able to protect and defend Swiss airspace from the 2030s.
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