Swiss Air Force
Air component of the Swiss Armed Forces / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Swiss Air Force?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Swiss Air Force (German: Schweizer Luftwaffe; French: Forces aériennes suisses; Italian: Forze aeree svizzere; Romansh: Aviatica militara svizra) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914, three days after the outbreak of World War I, as a part of the army and in October 1936 as an independent service.
Swiss Air Force | |
---|---|
Founded | 31 July 1914; 109 years ago (1914-07-31) |
Country | Switzerland |
Type | Air force |
Role | Aerial warfare Anti-aircraft warfare |
Size | 20,000 active personnel [1] |
Part of | Swiss Armed Forces |
Website | www |
Commanders | |
Commander of the Air Force | Divisional General Peter Merz |
Deputy Commander of the Air Force | Brigadier Werner Epper |
Insignia | |
Roundel | |
Aircraft flown | |
Electronic warfare | F-5F Tiger II, Pilatus PC-9 |
Fighter | F/A-18C Hornet, F-5E Tiger II |
Helicopter | Eurocopter Cougar, Super Puma, Eurocopter EC635 |
Reconnaissance | ADS-15 Hermes 900 |
Trainer | Pilatus PC-7, PC-9, PC-21, F/A-18D Hornet, F-5F Tiger II |
In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational air force headquarters. The Swiss Air Force operates from several fixed bases (see current status) but its personnel are also trained to carry out air operations from temporary highway airstrips. In case of crisis or war, several stretches of road are specially prepared for this option.