List of aircraft of the Swiss Air Force

Since its formation, the Swiss Air Force has used a number of different aircraft.

Current inventory

A F-5E Tiger II flies by at the 2012 Axalp live fire event

An F/A-18C taking off from Payerne Air Base

An AS532 Cougar helicopter

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service	Notes
Combat aircraft
F-5 Tiger II	United States	light fighter	F-5E	18[1]	6 assigned to the Patrouille Suisse[2]
F/A-18 Hornet	United States	multirole	F/A-18C	25[1]
F-35 Lightning II	United States	stealth multirole	F-35A	0[3]	36 on order[1] - F/A-18 replacement
Transport
Pilatus PC-6	Switzerland	utility / transport		14[1]	STOL capable aircraft
Bombardier Challenger 600	Canada	VIP / MEDEVAC	CL604	2[1]
Bombardier Global 7500	Canada	VIP		1[4]
Dassault Falcon 900	France	VIP	900EX	1[5]
Cessna Citation Excel	United States	VIP	560XL	1[6]
Super King Air	United States	Transport/photomapping	300C	1[1]	operated for the Swiss Office of Topography
DHC-6 Twin Otter	Canada	photomapping		1[1]	operated for the Swiss Office of Topography[7]
Pilatus PC-12	Switzerland	FLORAKO test flights / transport		1[8]	Armasuisse
Diamond DA42 Twin Star	Austria/United States	Test aircraft	MPP Centaur OPA	1[9]	Armasuisse
Helicopters
Aérospatiale AS 332M1 Super Puma	France	utility / SAR		15[10]	TH89 prior to modernisation, TH06 after modernisation[11]
Eurocopter AS532 Cougar	France	utility / SAR	AS532UL[12]	10[13]	12 purchased, 1 lost in 2011,[14] 1 lost in 2016.[15] TH98 when purchased, 9 modernised to standard TH18[11][16]
Eurocopter EC635	Germany	utility / VIP	EC635 P2+	19[17]	2 configured for VIP 1 lost in 2024[18]
Trainer aircraft
Pilatus PC-7	Switzerland	trainer		27[1]
Pilatus PC-21	Switzerland	primary trainer		7[1]
F-5 Tiger II	United States	conversion trainer	F-5F	5[1]
F/A-18 Hornet	United States	conversion trainer	F/A-18D	5[1]
UAVs
KZD-85	Switzerland	Target drone		41[19][20]	in service from 1985
Elbit Hermes 900	Israel	surveillance		2[21]	4 on order[21]

Retired aircraft

A Messerschmitt 109 on display at the flight museum in Dübendorf, Switzerland

A vintage Dewoitine D.27 restored to flying condition

A de Havilland Venom in a diorama setting at the Flieger-Flab-Museum

The sole example of an AS365 Dauphin in VIP configuration

A BAE Hawk landing at Buochs, Switzerland

A Swiss Hawker Hunter

A EKW C-35 multipurpose biplane

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service	Notes
Combat aircraft
Mirage III	France	fighter	IIIS	30[22]	retired in 1999
P-51 Mustang	United States	fighter		131[23]	in service from 1949 to 1957
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406	France	fighter		322[24]	in service from 1939 to 1956
Messerschmitt Bf 109	Germany	fighter		129[25]	in service from 1939 to 1949
Dewoitine D.27	France	fighter		66[26]	in service from 1928 to 1944
Hanriot HD.1	France	fighter		16[27]	in service from 1921 to 1930
Nieuport 28	France	fighter		15[28]	in service from 1918 to 1930
Potez 25	France	bomber		2[29]	in service from 1938 to 1944
de Havilland Mosquito	United Kingdom	bomber		2[30]	in service from 1944 to 1954
de Havilland Vampire	United Kingdom	fighter-bomber		182[31]	in service from 1946 to 1990
de Havilland Venom	United Kingdom	fighter-bomber	F.50/54	226[32]	in service from 1954 to 1984
Hawker Hunter	United Kingdom	fighter-bomber	TF.58	125[22]	retired from service 1994
Reconnaissance
ADS-95	Switzerland	Reconnaissance UAV		28 (2 crashed)	Retired November 2019[33]
Mirage III	France	reconnaissance	IIIRS	18[22]	retired in 1999
de Havilland Venom	United Kingdom	reconnaissance	F.50/54	32[32]	in service from 1956 to 1987
EKW C-36	Switzerland	reconnaissance		160[34]	in service from 1942 to 1987
Fokker C.V	Netherlands	reconnaissance		64[35]	in service from 1927 to 1954
EKW C-35	Switzerland	reconnaissance		160[36]	in service from 1937 to 1954
Häfeli DH-5	Switzerland	reconnaissance		80[37]	in service from 1922 to 1940
Häfeli DH-3	Switzerland	reconnaissance		109[37]	in service from 1917 to 1939
Häfeli DH-1	Switzerland	reconnaissance		6[37]	in service from 1916 to 1919
Piper Super Cub	United States	observation		6[38]	in service from 1948 to 1975
Fieseler Fi 156	Germany	observation		5[39]	in service from 1940 to 1963
Potez 25	France	observation		17[29]	in service from 1927 to 1940
Dornier Do 27	Germany	communications		3[22]	retired in 2005
Messerschmitt Bf 108	Germany	communications		18[40]	in service from 1938 to 1959
Beechcraft Twin Bonanza	United States	communications		3[22]	in service from 1957 to 1989
Transport
Pilatus PC-24	Switzerland	VIP	PC-24	1[41]	in service from 2019 to 2022
Dassault Falcon 50	France	VIP		1[42]	replaced by a Falcon 900EX in 2013
Beechcraft 1900	United States	VIP		1	replaced by two CL604 in 2020
Learjet 35	United States	VIP		2[22]	in service from 1987 to 2006
Junkers Ju 52	Germany	transport		3[43]	in service from 1939 to 1981
Beechcraft Expeditor	United States	transport		3[44]	in service from 1948 to 1969
Siebel Si 204	Germany	transport		1[45]	in service from 1945 to 1955
Messerschmitt M 18	Germany	transport		4[46]	in service from 1929 to 1954
Helicopters
AS365 Dauphin	France	VIP		1[47]	retired in 2009
Aérospatiale Alouette II	France	utility / SAR		30[22]	retired around 2012
Aérospatiale Alouette III	France	utility / liaison		76[22]	replaced by the Eurocopter EC635[48] by 2010
Sud-Ouest Djinn	France	light utility		4[49]	in service from 1958 to 1964
Hiller UH-12	United States	observation		3[50]	in service from 1952 -1962
Trainer aircraft
Pilatus PC-9	Switzerland	target tug/trainer	PC-9/F	12[51]	4 were used in the last years,[51] retired in 2022[52]
BAE Hawk	United Kingdom	primary trainer	Hawk 66	19[53]	18 surviving aircraft sold to Finland in 2008[54]
Mirage III	France	conversion trainer	IIIBS/DS	2/2[22]	retired in 2003
Pilatus P-3	Switzerland	trainer		60[22]	retired in 1995
Hawker Hunter	United Kingdom	conversion trainer	T.68	7[22]	retired in 1994
de Havilland Vampire	United Kingdom	jet trainer	T.55	35[22]	retired in 1990
Pilatus P-2	Switzerland	trainer		55[55]	in service from 1945 to 1981
Beechcraft MQM-61 Cardinal	United States	Target UAV		10	retired in 1965
Bücker Bü 131	Germany	trainer		94[56]	in service from 1936 to 1971
North American Harvard	Canada	trainer	IIB	40[57]	in service from 1948 to 1968
Bücker Bü 133	Germany	trainer		52[56]	in service from 1937 to 1968
Focke-Wulf Fw 44	Germany	trainer		1[58]	in service from 1945 to 1953
Nardi FN.315	Italy	trainer		2[59]	in service from 1944 to 1948
Dewoitine D.26	France	trainer		11[26]	in service from 1931 to 1948
Morane-Saulnier MS.229	France	trainer		2[60]	in service from 1931 to 1941
Nieuport 28	France	trainer		5[61]	in service from 1917 to 1921
UAVs
RUAG Ranger ADS 90	Switzerland	surveillance		?	in service from 1988 to 1999
RUAG Ranger ADS 95	Switzerland	surveillance		28	in service from 1999 to 2019