New soldier’s knife from Victorinox

8 September 2008

Victorinox will produce the new soldier’s knife for the Swiss army. A contract was signed today between Victorinox AG, Ibach and armasuisse, the procurement, technology and real estate centre of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. The soldier’s knife '08 replaces the previous Swiss soldier's knife, which was introduced in 1961.

The evaluation phase of the new soldier’s knife began in February 2008, when armasuisse issued an invitation to tender. A total of seven suppliers from Switzerland and other countries were invited to participate in the evaluation process. Functional models submitted by suppliers underwent practical testing by military personnel in July 2008, while laboratory tests were used to assess compliance with technical requirements.

A cost-benefit analysis was conducted and the model with the best price/performance ratio was awarded the contract. The order for 75,000 soldier’s knives plus cases is worth CHF 1.38 million.

The new soldier’s knives will be issued to troops during the first basic training sessions of 2009.