Thomas Rothacher, Deputy Chief of Armaments, said in an interview with the “NZZ” that the danger of drones is massively underestimated. (archive picture)
Keystone
According to the Deputy Chief of Armaments, Switzerland needs its own drone ecosystem. “The danger posed by this technology is still massively underestimated,” said Thomas Rothacher in an interview with the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” on Saturday.
“The idea is for companies in Switzerland to develop drones that can also be exported,” Rothacher explained. He is convinced that Switzerland, with its world-leading universities and innovative industry, could make a name for itself in this area.
However, this would require a relaxation of the restrictive War Material Export Act, as otherwise no company would take this risk. NATO states such as Germany are now avoiding Swiss armaments because they fear that they will not be able to pass them on to each other in an emergency or that they will not receive supplies. “This is costing our arms industry orders and companies are moving away,” said Rothacher.
“No defense system is effective against all drones”
Rothacher emphasized that Europe had recognized the issue of drone defence too late. Defense is more difficult than attack, as every system works differently. “Unfortunately, there is still no defense system that works against all drones,” he said.
At the beginning of October, the Swiss Armed Forces commissioned the Federal Armaments Office to procure new drone defense systems. Rothacher hopes that these will be ready by June 2026. In Switzerland, there is a tendency to want to do everything perfectly. “I’m afraid we don’t have that time,” he said.