The security policy Commission of the national Council (SIK) is dissatisfied with the outcome of the procurement project for a new mobile mine launchers. Startled by the reporting of this newspaper about delays in the new Cobra delivery-mine launcher for the Swiss army, has asked the Security Commission of the national Council at its meeting yesterday, the Federal Council for an opinion.
councillor Viola Amherd (CVP) have explained the SIK that the project was three years in arrears. This information SIK, President of Werner Salzmann (SVP) following the meeting. The Commission was surprised about this big delay, because so far there had been no official information about such a delay. The SIK asked in October 2018 due to a media report. At that time, she had been about technical problems which would delay the procurement of “something”.
The Commission had decided, therefore, to be in the future with a “traffic light” system of ongoing arms deals. The exact information system will be developed with VBS. “We will be aggressively informed of such problems and delays,” calls Salzmann called the SIK.
Old mortar keep?
in order to confirm the major planning and design issues to the Federal operating Ruag in the Federal house. The Parliament had approved in the year 2016, the purchase of 32 mortars. This is at the cost of 404 million Swiss francs. The manufacturer of the core piece of the weapon system, the Federal operating Ruag, had the mortar 16, such as the System in Switzerland is officially in the year 2015 at an arms fair in Abu Dhabi under the name of Cobra as a “Mature” touted. The mobile mine thrower is from the Cobra launcher, mounted on a Piranha wheeled APC of the Thurgau manufacturer General dynamics European land systems/Mowag. The mobile mine thrower is capable of firing 12-inch shells up to nine miles. The mortar-16 prototype works today, not as in the specification of Armasuisse prescribed. Ruag had to make because of the delays in 2017, a penalty payment of 726’000 francs to the Mowag, which occurs towards the Confederation as the General contractor for the weapons system.
Worried about a part of the SIK on defense gaps as a result of the delay in the Cobra. The new mortar was in 2016 as a replacement for fixed, liked to keep a stash presents mine thrower. On the question of possible defence gaps, the Federal Council must now refer. The answer should be unsatisfactory, Salzmann, will you submit a proposal. This will require you to suspend the current period of fixed, 12-cm mortars. In the case of the weapons systems that are currently being mined, is mine launchers, which were installed in the middle of the country up to the year 2007 in the concrete blocks. So in case the enemy onslaught rooms could have been fired in the war.
“time”
Opposed to the receiving-mounted mine launchers talks safety politician Balthasar Glättli (GP, ZH). He had been after reading critical reports in the ASMZ (“General Swiss military journal”) some of the time of the Conviction, “that may be out-of-service position, and the Dismantling of the Fortress mortars should be dispensed”. The debates in the Commission and the Council had convinced him that these systems are starting from a very different, non-contemporary use doctrine, he says upon request.
“Since I judge the likelihood of a traditional armed military confrontation in the next few years, as a minimum, leads to the delay of a significant security gap that would have to be closed with the Fortress of mortars”, says Glättli.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 30.04.2019, 22:58 PM
