Lockheed Martin and Mercury Systems have joined forces to produce cutting-edge computing technologies at Mercury’s facility in Geneva, Switzerland. This collaboration was sparked by an offset program between Lockheed and the Swiss government, which aimed to compensate for the acquisition of F-35 II stealth fighter jets. The Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement will provide critical security technologies such as software-defined radio capabilities and cryptology to support production.
Paul Tanner, Vice President and General Manager of Mercury International, expressed his excitement about the partnership. “We are thrilled to be working with Lockheed Martin to bring advanced defense technologies manufacturing to Switzerland,” he said. “These agreements will enhance our Mercury Processing Platform and enable us to introduce new, cutting-edge capabilities to the European market.”
Switzerland is also implementing modernization initiatives across its military, with a significant investment of 2.1 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in national defense in 2021. The country has focused on acquiring sophisticated capabilities such as surveillance drones and kamikaze drones, as well as Lockheed’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile systems. Despite a 1.4 percent budget cut in all other government departments, the military proposed an increased defense budget of 25.8 billion francs ($28.7 billion) last year in order to address security threats arising from the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
