Published on 10 January 2024
Swiss Air Force
The Swiss Air Force is responsible for military operations in Switzerland's airspace. Its tasks include airspace protection (maintaining air sovereignty and air defence), aerial transport and air-based intelligence gathering.
Airspace protection includes safeguarding national air sovereignty through airspace surveillance and air policing missions, air defence through both defensive and offensive measures, as well as protection against attacks involving ballistic missiles.
Air transport enables the transport of personnel, equipment and military units regardless of terrain. It also includes search and rescue operations, evacuations and repatriation missions. In addition, the Swiss Air Force operates the Federal Air Transport Service for the Swiss government and supports military operations. It also conducts aerial surveying flights on behalf of swisstopo. The air reconnaissance function provides the Swiss Armed Forces and civilian authorities with year-round surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering capabilities. These services are delivered using sensors mounted on drones, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. They support, among other things, operational command and control, search operations and mapping activities, and are conducted both day and night.
Established within the Swiss Air Force on 1 January 2026, the Space Competence Centre is responsible for maintaining the space situational picture, Earth observation, telecommunications, precision navigation and, where required, the development and implementation of countermeasures.The Swiss Air Force consists of the Air Force Staff, the Air Operations Centre, the Space Competence Centre, Air Brigade 31 and its military air bases, Ground-Based Air Defence Brigade 33, as well as the Aeromedical Institute.