“Yes,” Switzerland’s Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, known as the VBS, replied when asked whether South Korea was still under consideration for the procurement program known as Bodluv GR2.
Asked whether the field had been reduced to suppliers from France and Israel, the ministry answered, “No.”
It also confirmed that the South Korean bidder had been asked to extend the validity of its offer as Switzerland takes more time to decide — a request previously reported only for the French and Israeli contenders.
The clarification keeps South Korea in a major European procurement contest driven by delays in U.S. weapons deliveries and Switzerland’s desire to diversify its defense suppliers.
Bern is seeking a second long-range ground-based air defense system as deliveries of its U.S.-made Patriot systems face delays of five to seven years. Switzerland now considers delivery of the delayed systems by 2032 realistic.
The government estimates the additional system will cost around 5 billion francs, according to public broadcaster SRF. That preliminary figure includes missiles, logistics, training and other related expenses. Switzerland has not disclosed how many fire units, launchers or interceptors it intends to buy.
The estimate is separate from a more recent 6 billion franc funding figure cited by the VBS, which covers both the second system and at least part of the additional costs arising from the Patriot delays.
Switzerland opened contract negotiations in June with manufacturers from France, Israel and South Korea after an initial assessment found their proposals broadly met military requirements and offered the strongest cost-benefit performance.
Armasuisse, the federal defense procurement agency, completed its military and defense-policy evaluation in late September. Manufacturers from all three countries submitted binding offers, leaving the final choice to the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body.
But the VBS told AJP the same request had been made to the South Korean side.
“Yes,” the ministry said when asked whether the Korean bidder had also been asked to extend its offer following the delay.
The confirmation concerns South Korea’s participation, however, rather than the identity of the system it has offered.
“We do not comment on which systems are currently undergoing evaluation,” the VBS said.
Swiss media, including SRF, have identified the Korean candidate as L-SAM, South Korea’s domestically developed long-range surface-to-air missile system. SRF has also named the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium’s SAMP/T NG as a contender, alongside an Israeli system.
Neither South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA, nor LIG Nex1 confirmed to AJP that L-SAM was the system formally submitted.
“It is difficult for us to confirm the status of an overseas weapons procurement program,” an LIG Nex1 official said. The official said the company would need to check internally and declined to confirm whether the Korean system had reached a final stage of the competition.
DAPA also declined to confirm details.
“We always monitor such developments, but it is not necessarily the case that we know about them first,” an official from DAPA’s spokesperson’s office said, explaining that the agency sometimes learns of developments through media reports before checking with the relevant department or company.
“If the other government has not disclosed the matter, or is in a situation where it is difficult to confirm, we cannot unilaterally make it public,” the official said.
When negotiations began in June, the VBS identified firm delivery commitments, protection against long-range threats, compatibility with Swiss operations and reliable access to ammunition and spare parts as key requirements.
It also said the chosen supplier should, where possible, manufacture missiles, command systems or at least critical components in Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe over the medium term.
“An additional system reduces dependence on one supplier and a single supply chain and thereby strengthens security of supply,” the Swiss government said.
The strain on U.S. weapons supplies extends beyond Switzerland. Poland’s top operational commander said Oct. 12 that deliveries of contracted U.S. weapons, including PAC-3 MSE Patriot interceptors, would be delayed as the war involving Iran depleted American military stockpiles.
Swiss media have portrayed SAMP/T NG as a strong contender partly because Switzerland’s defense industrial strategy favors domestic or European procurement.
The Federal Council has nevertheless said excluding non-European manufacturers cannot currently be justified, particularly if they move parts of their production and supply networks to Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe.
Performance, cost, integration, supply risks and foreign and security policy considerations will also shape the choice.
The decision itself now faces a delay.
The procurement had been scheduled to move forward by the end of 2026. But the VBS said that timetable was no longer feasible after the National Council, the lower house of parliament, declined to support expedited consideration during the upcoming winter session.
“The originally planned timetable can no longer be implemented,” the ministry said earlier this month. The Federal Council will assess the situation and decide the next steps.
No revised selection timetable has been announced.
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