Switzerland's defense department said Wednesday that any delay to the planned multibillion-dollar acquisition of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets would have “grave consequences” for Swiss security, after opponents succeeded in a campaign to put the purchase to a referendum.
On Tuesday, the Swiss government announced that campaigners had cleared the bar of 100,000 signatures on a petition calling for a referendum on the planned purchase of 36 of the Lockheed Martin-built planes as part of a vast refurbishment of capability of the Swiss air force by 2030.
