Meetings behind the scenes Swiss army wants to build deadly kamikaze drones

Will Switzerland soon be getting into the kamikaze drone business in a big way? Officials are apparently already meeting behind the scenes.

On the morning of July 9, around one hundred representatives of the Swiss drone industry gathered at the military barracks in Bern. They were invited by Armasuisse, the Federal Office of Armaments. On site, it quickly became clear that Switzerland wants to develop kamikaze drones and needs support from the industry, as reported by theTages-Anzeiger newspaper.

The drones are used in large numbers in Ukraine. Loaded with explosives, they fly into tanks and trenches under remote control and explode. Drones are also an issue in Switzerland, which is a world leader in drone technology.

Although many Swiss drone companies have so far favored the civilian sector, the war in Ukraine is changing attitudes. On June 14, four influential people met in Bern: Viola Amherd's Secretary General Daniel Büchel, Head of Armaments Urs Loher, Michaela Schärer from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Army Chief Thomas Süssli, according to the Tages-Anzeiger.

Millions in research funding

They recognized the potential of military drones and decided to set up a task force to develop attack drones in Switzerland. The aim is to reduce dependence on foreign countries and establish a new arms industry.

During the meeting in the barracks, the drone start-ups learned that in addition to attack drones, drone defense and military knowledge are also to be promoted. Millions in research funding are planned over the next three years. The plan is to develop drones with ranges of 10, 100 and over 300 kilometers, whereby the latter could indicate international customers. Loher denies this.

Loher emphasizes that the aim is to protect the Swiss population. The first tests with kamikaze drones are planned for next year.