Niall O'Connor Reports from The Curragh Camp

TÁNAISTE AND DEFENCE Minister Simon Harris says he’s now “convinced” that Ireland needs a squadron of fighter jet interceptors to police its airspace.

“I am convinced of that case. I think we’re living in a geo-security, geo-political environment that is volatile, that is different. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“I think there are sensible things for any modern European country to do. In fact, I think it’s very it’s a very important step [fighter jets], but I need to be clear with people on this. This is a journey. This is a process.”

Ireland does not have its own capability to police its airspace and does not have any fighter jets to respond to airborne threats.

It has been repeatedly claimed that the British Royal Air Force is the go-to for Ireland when there is a threat above the skies. 

At present, there is a small fleet in the Irish Air Corps of PC9 propeller trainers which have limited capability in responding to slow moving aircraft but nothing to respond to, for example, a hijacked aircraft or aircraft from a foreign country entering Irish airspace.

Harris said that he has directed the Department of Defence to begin preparations to move the Irish Defence Forces towards the highest level of military funding, of the three levels put forward by the Commission on the Defence Forces in 2022.

Speaking at the opening of two new facilities in the Cadet School and the Transport in the Curragh Camp this morning,  Harris said that he has directed the Department of Defence to begin preparations to move the Irish Defence Forces towards the highest level of military funding. 

At present Ireland spends about €1.3billion on Defence – the highest proposed level is at least double that annually.

From left Cadet School Commandant Lt Col Eugene Cooke, Tánaiste Simon Harris and Lt Gen Seán Clancy. Sam Gibney / Irish Defence Forces Sam Gibney / Irish Defence Forces / Irish Defence Forces

An individual fighter jet would cost around €60m and a squadron would on average be 12 jets. The costs increase as there is a huge amount of support workers as well as pilots needed.

There will be a need for specialist military radar also.

“For government, it’s about delivering level of ambition two, and then, as our programme for government said, about moving towards level of ambition three,” Harris said, adding that he’d asked his officials to begin work on analysing what that transition would look like. 

As revealed last week by The Journal Ireland has contracted the US Defense Department agency the Institute for Security Governance (ISG) as consultants to advise on reorganisation of the Irish Air Corps, army and navy.

Sources have said the ISG has recently met with Irish Air Corps (IAC) leaders to discuss the change of the organisation to a more air force style structure.

The Air Corps is set to retire its fleet of PC9 trainers in the coming years. Irish Defence Forces Irish Defence Forces

Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, who is set to move to Europe as the chair of the EU military committee expanded on how the move to jet fighters could be done.

“Just to reinforce what the Tánaiste has just said about the aircraft, this is a layered approach, a stepped approach.

“You first have to get the primary radar, you have to get the enablers, and the final end state is the quick reaction aircraft that will do interception, but in the meantime, you will have detection, deterrence, and you build your capabilities at step on step, and then at that point in time is when the government will make a decision based on that,” he said.

Sources have said that there are a number of options already being discussed as possible solutions – these include the Swedish Gripen, the French Raffaele, the US F16 or the joint US and Korean jet the F50.

The Journal has learned that military industry officials have already begun pitching to Ireland the purchase of the aircraft. 

In 2022, in a presentation to a defence summit organised by non-profit policy group Slándáil in Dublin, JR Wildridge of Lockheed Martin suggested that Ireland could get new fighters from his company – including the F16 or the cheaper South Korean manufactured FA-50  jet.  

The Commission on the Defence Forces in 2022 proposed 130 points of action for the military, with one of the major projects a primary radar plan to place surveillance equipment at strategic locations across the country to, not only monitor Irish skies, but also to monitor shipping traffic.