The first military aviation in Switzerland took the form of balloon transport, pioneered by Swiss balloonist Eduard Spelterini, but by 1914 there was still little official support for an air corps.

The outbreak of World War I changed opinions drastically and cavalry officer Theodor Real was charged with forming a flying corps.

Switzerland remained neutral and isolated during the conflict, and the air corps confined its activities to training and exercises, reconnaissance and patrol.

[3] It was only with the worsening international situation in the 1930s that an effective air force was established at great cost, with up-to-date Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Morane-Saulnier D‐3800 fighters ordered from Germany and France respectively (the Moranes were licence-built in Switzerland).

[3] Although Switzerland remained neutral throughout World War II, it had to deal with numerous violations of its airspace by combatants from both sides – initially by German aircraft, especially during their invasion of France in 1940.

In September the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was commissioned by the U.S. Supreme Command to organize the escapes of 1,000 American internees, but the task was not effectively accomplished before late winter 1944/45.

[clarification needed] During the Cold War, military liaison officers from western, eastern and non-aligned nations were invited to the screenings.

The use of helicopter ops at high altitudes, search & rescue and firefighting demonstrations also have become a large part of the Axalp air show.

[9][10] After World War II, the service was renamed Airforce and Anti-Aircraft Command (Schweizerische Flugwaffe Kommando der Flieger und Fliegerabwehrtruppen).

The aircraft initially was intended as a stop-gap solution for the Swiss army in order to maintain a defence force during a time when the outdated Bf 109E's and Swiss built D-3801 Moranes were being phased out but the licensed production of the British designed Dh-100 Vampires and Dh-112 Venoms was not in full swing.

[12] However the inability to field a force capability to carry out such missions led to the return of traditional "protection of own territory" doctrine.

[14] Built up by a: In combination with the Bundesamt für Militärflugplätze (BAMF), this organization, together with its ZV Central Administration in Dübendorf, constituted a robust structure, which could be activated by mobilization within 48 hours.

In the late 1980s changing political and military world situations implied the need for multirole aircraft in the Air Force.

As the F/A-18 size is larger than either the Mirage III or Tiger II the caverns in the mountains used to protect the aircraft had to be enlarged, a continuing process as of 2011.

This is achieved by: Its secondary missions are executing airlift, reconnaissance operations, and gathering and interpreting intelligence for the Swiss political and military leadership.

Beginning with its separation from the army in 1966 the Air Force has been reduced in size (currently about 230 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft) moving towards a small professional cadre with fewer reserves and conscripted supporting personnel.

[17] Currently the Swiss air force has a peacetime strength of 1,600 career military and about 20,000 reservists on call.

[31][32] To reduce the risk of a negative referendum outcome the Swiss defence ministry revised its procurement strategy.

With a reconfigured GBAD system covering appx 15,000 km2 in the densely populated Swiss plateau the balance between fighter aircraft and ground-based air defence would be ensured for the next decades.

[36] Until late 2020, the aviator corps however was incapable of maintaining a matching state of readiness due to limited budget and lack of staff available and was operated from 06:00-22:00 local time only.

This became painfully clear as the Swiss Air Force was unable to respond to the Ethiopian Airlines ET702 hijacking in February 2014 which occurred outside routine operating hours.

[37] Agreements with Italy and France in particular enabled fighters from both air forces to enter Swiss airspace to handle the threat.

However, noise-abatement issues traditionally caused problems for the Swiss Air Force because of the tourist industry.

These exercises have covered the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, the Euro 2008 football championships, and the annual World Economic Forum.

It provides the civilian radar Skyguide with FLORAKO radardata enabling safe air traffic management.

Air Force helicopters and drones regularly conduct surveillance flights for the Border Guard Corps GWK, for general surveillance at major events and search flights (SAR) for national police and Rega (air rescue).

The Air Force supports the Federal Office of Public Health, National Emergency Operations Centre and conducts regular ENSI flights collecting airquality data and radioactivity measurements; it also does parabolic F-5 flights as part of the ARES program of the ETH Zurich and other research institutions.