The Swiss army is to auction off its old and unusable Mirage III fighter jets, for a starting price of 3,000 Swiss francs (1,900 euros, 2,400 dollars) each, the defence ministry said on Monday.
The 13 French-made combat aircraft will be sold to the highest bidder at an auction on November 26 in the central Swiss canton of Nidwald, the ministry said in a statement.
Twenty-three of the army's Mirage IIIs were put out to pasture at the end of last year, after 35 years of loyal service, because they were no longer airworthy.
Ten of the needle-nosed jets were snapped up by museums and the army has decided to auction off the rest following a surge of interest in the vintage aircraft, the ministry said.
Next month's auction will provide a second chance for would-be owners of ageing 49-foot (15-metre) bombers, who missed the boat when the Swiss army pensioned off another 29 Mirage IIIs in 1999.
Successful bidders will be asked to pick up their Mirage jet in the 10 days following the sale - but only during office hours.
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