Editing Swiss Armed Forces (section)

== Air Force ==
{{Main|Swiss Air Force|History of the Swiss Air Force}}
[[File:Axalp Cougar Opening flare launch.jpg|thumb|Cougar Helicopter firing decoy flares]]
[[File:Axalp FA-18C 5.jpg|thumb|F/A-18C flying over the Swiss Alps]]

The [[Swiss Air Force]] has been traditionally a militia-based service, including its pilots, with an inventory of approximately 456 aircraft whose lengthy service lives (many for more than 30 years) overlapped several eras. However, beginning with its separation from the Army in 1996, the Air Force has been downsizing; it now has a strength of approximately 270 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and is moving towards a smaller, more professional force.

The primary front-line air-defence fleet consists of 30 [[F/A-18 Hornet]]s (34 aircraft were originally purchased, with three F/A-18D and one F/A-18C lost in crashes) organized into three [[Squadron (aviation)|squadrons]] (11, 17 and 18) along with 53 [[Northrop F-5|F-5 Tiger II]]s (98 F-5E and 12 F-5F originally purchased). In October 2008, the Swiss Hornet fleet reached the 50,000 flight hours milestone.<ref>{{cite web |title=Swiss Hornets reach 50,000 flight hours milestone |url=http://www.milaviapress.com/news/archive/2008.php#48 |date=24 October 2008 |publisher=Military Aviation Publications |access-date=14 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019024440/http://www.milaviapress.com/news/archive/2008.php#48 |archive-date=19 October 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2017, the Swiss Hornet fleet reached the 100,000 flight hours milestone as well as 20 years of flight operations.

Previously, the [[Swiss Air]] Force did not maintain 24/7 operational readiness status in peacetime, owing to the limited budget and staff available. The Swiss Air Force worked on extending the operational times in 2016, aiming to be maintaining readiness for two armed jet fighters round-the-clock by 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.news.admin.ch/de/nsb?id=59711 |title=Umsetzung des Projekts Luftpolizeidienst 24 steht bevor |trans-title=Implementation of Project Air Policing 24 is Imminent |language=de |website=www.admin.ch |publisher=[[Swiss Federal Council]] |date=1 December 2015 |access-date=19 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816160042/https://www.news.admin.ch/de/nsb?id=59711 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 31 December 2020, the Swiss Air Force gained two operational fighter jets ready to scramble 24/7.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Service de police aérienne 24 h sur 24 |url=https://www.admin.ch/gov/fr/accueil/documentation/communiques.msg-id-81760.html |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=www.admin.ch}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Swiss Air Force finally on call around the clock | website=SWI swissinfo.ch | date=30 December 2020 | url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/swiss-air-force-finally-on-call-around-the-clock/46253116 | access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref>

The difficulty of defending Swiss airspace is illustrated by the [[Swiss Alps|mountainous]] character and the small size of the country; the maximum extension of Switzerland is 348&nbsp;km, a distance that can be flown in a little over 20 minutes by commercial aircraft. Furthermore, Switzerland's policy of neutrality means that they are unlikely to be deployed elsewhere (except for training exercises).