With the construction of a new site on the military airfield in Payerne, RUAG Ltd now provides on-site maintenance for the Swiss Air Force in western Switzerland. In addition to the six employees already stationed in Payerne, twelve new posts have been created in the region, all of which have been filled. At the beginning of April, the plane panel beaters, plane mechanics and NDT inspectors (non-destructive testing, a special materials testing process) were able to take possession of the first F/A-18 and begin working on it. Every year, RUAG Ltd can conduct up to four major inspections on the F/A-18 while also providing support for minor inspections.
The extension work in Payerne has made the successful cooperation between RUAG and the VBS, dating back more than 30 years, even closer and more intensive. RUAG employees work side by side and post by post with the members of the Swiss Air Force and are in a position to improve the efficiency and efficacy of the service provision to the Air Force by bringing plane maintenance and operations geographically closer together.
While the need for major inspections at the main site in Emmen will be reduced somewhat with the launch of operations in Payerne, the overall level of services provided to the Air Force will remain the same in the future. With some of the burden being removed with the development of the new site, the RUAG Ltd employees in Emmen can now focus more of their attention on the F/A-18 restructuring program.
With about 7,000 F/A-18 movements per year, Payerne Airfield is the main Air Force site for fighter planes and the headquarters of the Air Police service. The target set by the Federal Council of being able to ensure the Air Police intervention capability 24/7 and 365 days a year was implemented at the end of last year.
Questions:
Kirsten Hammerich, Spokesperson RUAG Ltd: 058 467 05 11
Delphine Allemand, Spokesperson Armed Forces: 058 463 22 58