Published on 5 March 2026

COREB

COREB (Communauté régionale de la Broye) is a strategic regional development organisation supporting the transformation of the Broye region into a hub for defence, aerospace and technological innovation. Together with the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse, swiss aeropole, cantonal partners and academic institutions, COREB plays a central coordinating role in ensuring that the introduction of the F-35A fighter jet into Switzerland brings long-term economic, scientific and social benefits to the region.

Overview

In September 2024, an agreement was reached between the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), regional municipalities and COREB following constructive dialogue led in part by Federal Councillor and former DDPS Head Viola Amherd, setting key parameters for the F-35A’s operation and enabling a shared vision for sustainable economic development and innovation in the region.

The Broye region hosts Switzerland’s main military air base in Payerne, a future home base for the F-35A. The DDPS and the Broye region agreed to promote sustainable regional development linked to the air base. armasuisse, swiss aeropole and COREB are working together to achieve this by creating an innovation ecosystem at the Payerne site.

Through research, innovation, infrastructure, digital security initiatives, and talent development, COREB helps integrate military and civil activities, strengthens local value creation, and enables opportunities for academia, industry and government.

Goals

Support the economic and technological development of the Broye region.
Strengthen cooperation between armasuisse, the Swiss Air Force, industry, universities and cantonal partners.
Build a defence innovation ecosystem in Payerne based on dual-use technologies.
Enable new employment and training opportunities linked to aviation and defence.
Foster innovation in space, energy, cybersecurity, drones/robotics and aeronautical research.
Maintain a long-term research and development structure integrated with regional actors.

Focus Area

COREB’s mission covers several strategic dimensions shaping the future of the Broye region:

Development of infrastructure connected to the Payerne military base and the Swiss air force
Fostering Swiss Space Ecosystem
Energy transformation for military and dual-use systems
Robotics and drone integration
Technological and cybersecurity research
Employment and innovation development
Regional planning and economic growth

These focus areas are delivered through multi-stakeholder collaboration between the federal government, cantons, universities and private partners.

Space

Payerne provides a strategically well-suited environment for defence-related research, innovation, and testing activities. The site combines direct access to a national air base with the availability of land for new infrastructure and is located in close proximity to major urban and academic centres, including Lausanne, Yverdon, Fribourg, Bern, and Neuchâtel. The presence of swiss aeropole further strengthens the location by offering dedicated space for companies, research institutions, and defence innovation initiatives. In addition, Payerne hosts the Swiss Air Force as well as militia units of the recently established Space Command, whose troops are trained on site, creating a unique ecosystem at the intersection of operations, training, research, and innovation.

Key elements include:

A platform for exchange, collaboration, and innovation with a strong focus on dual-use applications
Immediate proximity to the Swiss Air Force and the Space Command training militia
A dual-use airport offering excellent real-world testing conditions, including future flight-testing options for unmanned systems (e.g. drones)
A neutral coordination role that brings together national research activities in the defence domain
Involvement in incubation and acceleration programmes in the space sector
Close proximity to key actors in the aeronautical and space industries

Energy

Energy supply resilience through research collaboration

Within collaborative research projects with academic partners, armasuisse examines the energy supply of military sites and evaluates innovative technologies aimed at enhancing the resilience and robustness of energy systems. The insights and solutions developed in this context may also be transferable to civilian infrastructures.

Innovative approaches to secure aviation fuel supply

From an energy-security perspective, the reliable provision of aviation fuel represents a critical challenge. While conventional strategies primarily rely on fuel storage combined with resilient logistics chains, alternative approaches are increasingly being explored. One such approach involves the decentralised, local production of liquid fuels using regionally available energy sources as the primary input. For instance, aviation fuel could be synthesised from locally generated electricity. armasuisse intends to further investigate this concept in Payerne and, in cooperation with regional partners, advance the technological development of such solutions.

Energy Day

In August 2025, armasuisse S+T hosted the Energy Day 2025 in the Broye region. Over 130 interested experts and guests from the fields of administration, industry, science and defence discussed on energy transition challenges and aviation infrastructure needs.

Read more: Energy Day 2025 – A sustainable discussion about challenges and solutions in the energy sector

Energy resilience and sustainability are core themes for future military bases.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one of four priority research pillars driving development in Payerne. Projects include:

cybersecurity for satellites and aeronautical platforms,
and a large satellite-focused hackathon held in November 2025

Cybersecurity research will be conducted through close cooperation with universities, industry partners and the Cyber-Defence Campus of armasuisse Science and Technology.

Drones and Robotics

Based on the army’s needs, the Payerne research site will explore drone and robotic systems, dual‑use technologies, and testing opportunities related to counter drone and autonomous aviation. Academic as well as industrial partners will take part in experimentation and prototyping activities to demonstrate the added value to the Swiss Army. Several industrial partners located at the Aeropole already show that their products are mature enough to be tested by the Swiss Armed Forces.

Payerne will also serve as an extension of the existing showcase of the Swiss Drone and Robotics Centre (SDRC) from armasuisse Science and Technology and will help strengthen cooperation between the German‑ and French‑speaking parts of Switzerland.

Employment and Innovation Working Group

The “Employment and Innovation” working group has been active since the end of 2024 and meets regularly. It is composed of representatives from armasuisse, the Swiss Air Force, the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud (via their economic promotion services), COREB, swiss aeropole, the Yverdon University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the Fribourg University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the University of Fribourg, and EPFL.

Its objective is to identify and implement development and innovation projects as well as employment opportunities in the Broye region. It aims to make swiss aeropole a hub of innovation around dual-use civil and military technologies with the following advantages:

Modular workspaces for researchers, students, start-ups, and established companies;
Easy access to joint projects with armasuisse and private actors;
A stimulating environment, events (hackathons, workshops), networking;
On-site testing and experimentation platform in Payerne;
Synergies with civilian actors (swiss aeropole ecosystem) and military actors (air base).

Participants within COREB

COREB is a Vaud/Fribourg regional development body with expertise in economic growth, land use planning and mobility. Within the Payerne military transformation, COREB coordinates regional interests and manages working groups including Training Centre development, Employment, and Infrastructure cooperation
Accueil - La Coreb | La Communauté régionale de la Broye
swiss aeropole is a technology park dedicated to aerospace, defense and advanced manufacturing, located in Payerne with direct access to a unique dual-use aviation ecosystem combining civil and military operations.
Home to a community of more than 30 companies, start-ups and research organizations, swiss aeropole provides modular industrial and office space, greenfield and testing environments supporting the full innovation cycle - from research and prototyping to certification, industrialization and market deployment.
Payerne Airport accommodates business aviation operations, while its infrastructure is also used for ground and flight testing of innovative technologies, enabling real-world validation in an operational environment.
By co-locating academic institutions, SMEs, industrial players and public stakeholders on a single site, swiss aeropole fosters collaboration and technology transfer in fields such as aviation, space technologies, unmanned systems, advanced materials and data-driven applications, forming a key backbone of the emerging Payerne innovation hub.
swiss aeropol

Events and activities

In 2025 and 2026, research and project activities in Payerne will expand progressively. armasuisse has already opened workspaces at the swiss aeropole site, and the first local positions in the space research sector have been created. Throughout 2025, major activities such as the Energy Day and a satellite-focused cybersecurity hackathon took place, strengthening scientific exchange and collaboration in the region. From mid-2026 onwards, armasuisse will move into dedicated premises in Payerne, where up to ten specialists will work on a permanent basis. These facilities will also provide space for students and external partners to conduct research projects. As the new defence and innovation ecosystem continues to develop, further employment, research and technology initiatives are expected to follow, reinforcing the long-term regional growth strategy.