This has led to a significant shift in the way the Swiss army is thinking about its own drone capabilities. The Swiss army is currently undergoing a major transformation, focusing on developing and deploying drones for various military operations. This transformation is driven by the increasing use of drones in modern warfare, particularly in Ukraine.
The scale of the Ukrainian conflict has been unprecedented in recent history, and the use of drones has become a critical component of the war effort. The use of drones in Ukraine has been particularly impactful due to their ability to provide real-time intelligence, enabling swift and effective decision-making. This has been crucial in the Ukrainian defense against Russian aggression.
This is a major challenge, as the short development cycles and rapid innovation spurts in the drone sector are diametrically opposed to traditional, rather sluggish procurement processes. “Stocking lots of drones in big warehouses makes no sense,” says Rothacher. He sees the solution rather in building up a network of agile companies which can manufacture, quickly adapt, supplement and modify drones. Switzerland is very well equipped for this. Drone capital Compared to its population, hardly any other country has as much expertise in drone technology as Switzerland. Countless start-ups from federal technology institutes and universities are up and running, building highly specialised drones and sophisticated control software. Some of these objects are on display in the SDRC’s showroom in Thun, canton Bern.
Rothacher is convinced that the drone ecosystem must be kept in Switzerland, so that in case of a conflict, it would be possible to flexibly produce drones or reprogramme commercially available models to suit. But a central problem remains: no drone flies without computer chips – and none of the many Swiss drone firms can produce such chips themselves. One solution would thus be a “pawn” strategy, which would involve exchanging a Swiss product for microchips, says Rothacher. Yet even this strategy is no guarantee that the coveted electronic circuits will actually be available. As a result, authorities are considering stockpiling durable and freely programmable chips.
+ The biggest news from Switzerland, straight to your inbox Adapted from German by DeepL/dos
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