Swiss voters split on $6.5 bln purchase of fighter jets -TV

Swiss voters were evenly split on Sunday on the government's plan to spend up to 6 billion Swiss francs ($6.46 billion) on new fighter jets, projections for broadcaster SRF based on partial results showed.

Approving funding in the binding referendum would let the government decide next year among the Eurofighter from Airbus , the Rafale from France's Dassault, Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, or the Lockheed Martin F35-A Lightning II. The aircraft would replace Switzerland's aging fleet of 30 F/A-18 Hornets, which will go out of service in 2030.