Special challenge for all involved

The Valais is the third largest canton in Switzerland and lies entirely in the Alpine region. This is where WIR FÜCHSE 2022 assembled the SION radar tower. The 25-metre high tower, which was erected at an altitude of approximately 1,100 metres, was named after the main town of Valais called "Sitten" (Sion in French). The federal armed forces consist mainly of conscripts - they are supposed to militarily guarantee the "armed neutrality" of the non-aligned country.

A serious ally of the Swiss in case of conflict would definitely be the country's topography. Our assembly team already gained this insight in the course of its absolutely friendly mission. Due to the mountainous landscape, a challenging assembly site awaited us, which was difficult to access. In order to deliver the nine tower segments and 13 spiral staircase segments to the construction site, we carried out a transshipment in the town of Martigny. The very narrow, steep and winding access road could only be managed with special vehicles.

But it was not only the topographical circumstances that shaped the project: the extremely tight time window for production and construction also presented a challenge that we mastered. So we assembled the 145-tonne radar tower on time with a great view of the mountainous surrounding countryside. We integrated a spiral staircase inside the tower to ensure safety on the way to the upper platform.

We would like to thank the Hensoldt company for the smooth and interesting cooperation!