GENEVA

The Swiss army will have to wait even longer for US-made Patriot air defense systems as regional conflicts drain global stockpiles, according to government sources cited by Swiss public television SRF.

SRF reported Wednesday that the five units originally slated for delivery starting this year are now delayed by more than five years.

The backlog is driven by intense combat in the Middle East, the report said. Since Sunday, the UAE has reportedly intercepted over 1,000 Iranian missiles and drones, many using Patriot interceptors that cost an average of $3.84 million each.

Israel and the US have continued a large-scale offensive on Iran since Saturday, while Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.

This high consumption, coupled with Ukraine’s ongoing needs, has left manufacturers like Raytheon struggling to replenish stocks, it said.

The situation has sparked a political divide in Switzerland. According to SRF, Social Democratic parliamentarian Franziska Roth has called for the Patriot procurement to be canceled, arguing that "what we need are defense systems against drones" rather than long-range missiles.

In response to the bottleneck, Defense Minister Martin Pfister is exploring the SAMP/T system from the French-Italian consortium Eurosam as a potential alternative, the report said.

While Pfister does not intend to cancel the Patriot order, a decision on diversifying the nation’s air defense is expected at a government meeting this Friday, it added.

Switzerland has already transferred CHF650 million (over $834 million) to the US, but further payment remains suspended for the system, which costs in total CHF2 billion (more than $2.5 billion).