Alpine crossroads

Both neutral, but otherwise very different, Austria and Switzerland are weighing up options for their future fighter fleets. Georg Mader assesses the two neighbours’ approaches. The original driver behind Swiss plans to acquire the Saab Gripen was the requirement to succeed the ageing F-5E/F – this is a two-seat F-5F model. The current plans envisage replacing both the Tiger II and Hornet with a common fighter platform. Peter Lewis SPECIAL REPORT Austrian and Swiss fighters The Swiss authorities appear to