Switzerland Plans To Buy Dozens Of US F-35 Fighter Jets

Handout photo dated December 8, 2016 of a U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II from Eglin Air Force Base takes off during Checkered Flag 17-1 at Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, USA. Switzerland has chosen Lockheed Martin's F-35A Lightning II as its next-generation fighter jet, the government said on Wednesday, angering opponents who have pledged a new referendum to overturn what they dubbed an unnecessary "Ferrari" option. The $ 5.5 billion deal adds a 15th nation to the world's largest weapons project -- a family of interconnected, single-engine jets to be used by the United States and its allies and partners. It came alongside a $ 2.1 billion agreement to buy the Patriot surface-to-air missile system from US group Raytheon, with European competitors losing out on both deals. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alex Fox Echols III via ABACAPRESS.COM