Mechanical engineering Ruag completes four of the 36 new F-35 fighter jets in Switzerland

Four of the 36 new F-35 fighter jets from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin will be completed by the Swiss Ruag Group. In the medium term, Ruag is to become part of the European F-35 support solution.

The "Rigi" offset project was pre-approved by the Swiss Federal Office of Armaments (Armasuisse) at the beginning of June, as Ruag announced on Tuesday. This will enable Lockheed Martin to commission Ruag with the final assembly of four F-35 fighter jets and to build up the corresponding industrial capabilities at Ruag.

When signing the F-35 procurement contract, Lockheed Martin committed to offset sixty percent of the contract value through offset transactions with companies in Switzerland. This corresponds to around three billion US dollars.

Ruag expects to need around one hundred employees to implement the "Rigi" project - forty of whom are to come from French-speaking Switzerland. In addition, Ruag plans to invest around one hundred million francs in French-speaking Switzerland.