Niall O'Connor

A NEW GARDA helicopter rolled off the production line of an Airbus factory in Germany all the way back in 2024 but, because of a paperwork mix up, it still has not been delivered, The Journal has learned.

The H145 model helicopter will be a new aircraft for the Garda Air Support Unit (GASU) to replace the older model of craft currently in use, the Eurocopter 135.

It is part of a €50 million effort to invest in new aircraft for the police force, whose fleet is based at Casement Aerodrome, at Baldonnel in Co Dublin. 

The two current helicopters came into service in 2001 and 2007.

The gardaí have recently taken delivery of an Otter fixed wing twin-engined aircraft, which has been visible above the EU Presidency events in Dublin and Cork this week. 

They are flown by Air Corps pilots with garda observers. They are generally used in Dublin and are a key asset for pursuits and assisting specialist units.

Two new helicopters were ordered from Airbus in October 2023 – both H145 models. The first of those helicopters, registered as EI-OSS, rolled off a production line at Donauwörth near Munich in 2024. 

The helicopter was partially disassembled and shipped in a box to Oxford in Britain to a facility where it would be kitted out with the garda-ordered equipment for its mission in Ireland. 

Sources said it arrived in England in November 2024 and that it was then placed on an Irish civilian register. EI-OSS is on the publicly viewable IAA register of aircraft, and it is owned by Airbus Helicopters. 

Its appearance on the register, The Journal has learned, prompted an examination of paperwork by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and this, according to sources, found discrepancies in some of the form filling.

The issue centred around the tracking of parts after it was disassembled for it’s journey to England. 

The helicopter has remained at Oxford Airport for almost two years. In fact, the second helicopter is likely to be delivered before the first purchased by the State. 

There is an added issue in the international helicopter industry around a shortage of materials and equipment, which sources believe may be adding to the delay. 

Airbus helicopters have Israeli tech in avionics. The government has made an undertaking not to purchase anything with Israeli manufactured equipment in it – it is unlikely to be a factor in this case as that undertaking was made after the contract was signed.

The new helicopters will replace the current garda EC-135s (pictured). Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

We contacted the IAA and Airbus with a series of questions, but they did not respond to requests for statements. 

We also contacted An Garda Síochána and outlined our sourced information. They responded but did not address the reasons for why the helicopter remained in Oxford.

“The delivery of the first of two helicopters is expected in late Q3 2026, with the second helicopter scheduled for delivery in late Q4 2026,” the garda statement read. 

That timeline differs from what Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan told the Dáil in December of last year. 

In response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Paul Donnelly, O’Callaghan said that the first new helicopter would be operational at the start of 2026 or the first four months of the year (Q1, or Q2 at a push). The second helicopter would be delivered by the end of the year, he said. 

GASU, the air support unit, is a notoriously secretive unit within the force. It comes under the command of Garda Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, who is in charge of Organised and Serious Crime.

According to the minister’s Dáil response a Detective Chief Superintendent in charge of Operational Support Services runs the unit on an operational level. Operational Support Services include the dog unit, water unit and mounted unit.