Poschti’s note shows: Amherd specifically wants to invest in the army

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

The obligation credit or the maximum amount that the army can spend on army equipment for the years 2024 to 2027 is 3.52 billion francs. It will be used, among other things, to prepare future tenders. For example, the expansion of IT and telecommunications systems, the purchase of partly mobile radars for air traffic surveillance, the purchase of air defense equipment and the renovation of the 87 Leopard 2 battle tank are planned.

800 million francs is earmarked for project planning, testing and tender preparation, 2 billion francs for equipment and renewal requirements and a further 720 million francs for training ammunition and ammunition management.

483 million francs is intended for the construction of a new underground data center “Kastro II”. Like the existing ‘Foundation’ data center, it will be used exclusively for military purposes and will be fully protected. Completion is planned between 2025 and 2033. More than 60 locations were evaluated. The army does not make public where construction is taking place.

The LU Emmen military airport must be used more efficiently. To this end, the federal government wants to move the Rüeggisingerstrasse, which runs through and divides the military airfield area west of the runway. The barriers at crossings must be closed. The road will be moved to the northern edge of the area for 14 million francs. Work is expected to start next year and last until 2027.

The Auenfeld area on the Frauenfeld TG weapons range will be further used and densified in the longer term. The Army hopes this will result in greater efficiency and lower operating costs. 93 million francs is intended for a fourth expansion and renovation phase. New housing, security and education buildings are planned. A partial renovation is also planned for Bière VD’s weapons range. The Federal Council wants to raise 46 million francs for a first phase from 2025 to 2028. For example, framework accommodation is affected. The buildings, originally used as horse stables, date from the late 19th century. No major renovations have taken place in over 40 years.

250 million francs is intended for further real estate projects. Both projects involve numerous smaller projects of less than R10 million. This involves research and project planning, expansions and value retention measures.

The two existing data centers of the Ministry of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (VBS) will be expanded at a cost of 130 million francs. The plan for the “Foundation” and “Campus” systems is to migrate business-critical applications and services to a new information and communications technology infrastructure. Additional expansion measures worth approximately 400 million francs are planned for the 2030s.

The Federal Council reserves 40 million francs for the purchase of mobile sensors to better detect, locate, track and identify aircraft or other aircraft. The radar data required for the air situation picture comes from, among other things, radar stations that are part of the Florako airspace surveillance and operations control system. Their sensors will have to be replaced in the early 2030s and will also be used in semi-mobile form in the future.

The army wants to invest 70 million francs in maintaining the value of the PC-7 training aircraft. The Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer has been used by the Air Force for pilot training since 1982. The plan now is to update the navigation system essential for instrument flight and retrofit the radio system in accordance with regulations introduced across Europe. In addition, two flight simulators must be brought to the same technological level as the real systems. After completion of the work, the PC-7 will be used for another fifteen years.

The latest armament program reserves 210 million francs for the purchase of new guided weapons. Eurospike GmbH’s Spike LR2 weapons are intended to equip ground troops to engage armored targets and key objects at long ranges. Since the war in Ukraine, this capability has become more important: according to the federal government, modern anti-tank guided weapons are among the most important means of defense. The chosen weapon type is used by various European armed forces.

The Federal Council wants to increase cybersecurity with a commitment loan of 40 million francs. In concrete terms, the money is intended, among other things, for connecting new main systems to the digitization platform for storing and managing digital user profiles. Overall, the storage and management of digital user profiles and the regulation of user access should be improved, thereby increasing data security. (SDA)

Source:Blick