The Swiss Air Force has a unusual organisation directly relevant to the history of airfield development in this long-time neutral state.

Peacetime duties comprise the usual airspace policing and light transport role, plus a sizeable training commitment. These are undertaken from prominent, well-known airfields by combat squadrons (comprising the surveillance wing), schools and various miscellaneous units, backed by elements of air transport squadrons.

Badges indicating the operating unit are quiet common seen, but do not mean an actual allocation of this aircraft to the particular unit. All aircraft of the Swiss Air Force are pooled and a particular unit gets its aircraft allocated from this pool. It could very well be that one unit has a training course lasting one week and then hands over the aircraft to a sister unit flying the following week from the same base. The aircraft could very well have a badge of a third unit – which might not even be in existance anymore. Complicated?!?

Today, the Swiss Air Force comprises of 9 Fliegerstaffeln (FlSt) flying the F/A-18C/D Hornet, F-5E/F Tiger II, Pilatus PC-9 and Pilatus PC-7.

3 squadron operate the F/A-18C/D Hornet (FlSt 11, 17 and 18).
4 squadron operate the F-5E/F Tiger II (FlSt 6, 8, 16 and 19).
1 squadron operate the Pilatus PC-9 (FlSt 12)
1 squadron operate the Pilatus PC-7 (FlSt 14)

On 15 February 1957 this Swiss parliment agreed for the first time upon the purchase of helicopters for the Air Force. Some years later an evaluation for a new utility helicopter saw the SA.316 Alouette III as winner over the Agusta-Bell 204 and the Kaman H-43 Husky. A credit for the purchase of the first 9 SA.316 Alouette III was spoken on 11 March 1963. In 1964 the first trainee pilots on helicopter were selected and started their training. This was the beginning of a successful integreation of the helicopter in the Swiss Air Force.

Today, some 20 EC.635, 15 AS.332 Super Puma and 10 AS.532 Cougar form the backbone of the 6 helicopter squadrons of the Swiss Air Force. The Pilatus PC-6 Porter of LTSt 7 also belong to the air transport society.