A Swiss Air Force Northrop F-5E Tiger II in Patrouille Suisse colours (the Swiss Air Force demonstration team) sits proudly on display at the entrance to the excellent Swiss Air Force Centre (Flieger Flab Museum) in Dübendorf near Zurich, plus another in standard military grey is on display in Hall 2 (get there early as there is much to… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: Tigers of the Alps
From 1964 to 2003, the Swiss Air Force operated modified licence-built interceptor, reconnaissance and trainer versions of the classic 1960’s era French designed, delta winged Dassault Mirage III (the type was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet between 1996 and 1999). Powered by a SNECMA Atar 09 turbojet engine, the Mach 2.0 capable Mirage III jet truly brought Switzerland… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: Dassault Mirage IIIS – The Swiss Supersonic Age
In early 1958 the Swiss government ordered 100 British designed Hawker Hunter F.Mk.58 fighters for the Swiss Air Force. The first 12 were upgraded former RAF F.Mk.6 examples and the rest were new off the Hawker production line (the first was delivered in April 1958 and the last in April 1960). Fine examples of single-seat Swiss Hunters can… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: Hunters of the Alps
In the 1950’s the Swiss worked on the development of two domestically designed and produced jet combat aircraft for the Swiss Air Force, the EFW N-20 Aiguillon (Sting) fighter and the FFA P-16 ground attack fighter. Both projects only reached the prototype stage and ultimately both were cancelled. Luckily examples of both aircraft survive today and are on display in… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: Home Grown Jet Fighter Prototypes
Swiss Venoms In addition to the de Havilland DH.100 Vampire jet fighter-bomber, the Swiss Air Force also operated and licence-built the de Havilland DH.112 Venom in the fighter-bomber and reconnaissance role from the mid 1950’s into the 1980’s. The Venom was basically an improved development of the Vampire which featured the same 4 x 20mm Hispano cannons, plus… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: de Havilland DH.112 Venom – 30 Year Swiss Defenders
Swiss Vampires The Swiss Air Force operated 182 de Havilland DH.100 Vampire early jet fighter-bombers. The Vampire was the first jet fighter in the Swiss inventory and they were initially used for air defence. The first 4 were F.1 fighter variants purchased from the United Kingdom in 1946 to be used for evaluation and flight testing… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: de Havilland DH.100 Vampire – The First Swiss Jet Fighter
Swiss Mustangs Post World War Two the Swiss Air Force operated an ageing fleet of piston engine fighters (Messerschmitt Bf 109E/G and Morane-Saulnier D-3801) and desperately needed more capable aircraft in numbers. An order had been placed for de Havilland DH.100 Vampire jet fighters but they would not enter operational service until 1949. A stop-gap fighter was needed… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: Surplus North American P-51D Mustang’s in Switzerland
Fokker C.V-E & EKW C-35 The Swiss had proven successful in producing licence-built aircraft but a time came in the mid 1930’s to develop a home-grown multi-purpose combat aircraft to replace the ageing biplane Fokker C.V-E reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft, of which 48 had been in service since 1933 (a 1920’s design the aircraft were retired from… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: Fokker C.V-E, EKW C-35 and EKW C-36
The French designed Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter saw combat in the Battle of France in 1940. The French were working on an improved version known as the M.S.412 but due to the fall of France in 1940 it was not continued until the Swiss took up the design and developed the D-3801 fighter from it (the Swiss had previously licence-built 84 of… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: Morane-Saulnier D-3801
Prior to the commencement of World War Two in September 1939 the Swiss Air Force was mostly equipped with obsolete aircraft including the hopelessly outdated Dewoitine D-27 fighter, a 1927 designed and poorly armed parasol monoplane of which 66 were produced in Switzerland from 1931 (it was armed with just two 7.5mm machine guns). This was until… Read More Swiss Air Force Centre: Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3
Aces Flying High 