Fighter jets for the Air Corps?

I can go one better than that Doh. I was there in 1798

That is very insulting. Poor manners and not prepared to respect other peoples ideas and point of view.

Egad Sir,

I don't like the cut of your jib!

All history now. Time to catch up a bit and get back into the jet age.

Who was behind the down grading off  L.É. EITHNE was it from the military or the DOD

In the Late 90s there was a succession of US presidential visits. One one occasion L.E. Eithne was based in the Shannon Estuary, using it's radar to control the local airspace outside that of Shannon's own primary radar, and in communication with the A/d units located securing the perimeter. (Shannon was closed to everyone during the departure and arrival of POTUS, and a large military force was assisting in perimeter security.

For later visits,(Bush stayed in Dromolond I think) post 9/11 there was no Naval presence in the estuary, and the USN had an AEGIS off the coast, over the horizon doing the same thing, and the airspace was controlled in the air by unseen US military aircraft. The Irish military presence in Shannon was much larger.

I visited L.E. Eithne on a NS family day not long after, and surprisingly the Operations room was included in the tour(usually out of bounds on any past tour). The operator positions remained but the equipment had been removed. For a time the DA01 Antennae was also missing from the mast, but this returned. It is many years since I saw it anything other than fore & aft, while on the move, so I think it only existed for decoration in latter years.

WRT the helideck, during a refit in the early 2000s, the deck was fitted with spots to take TEU tiedowns. There was a plan for it to venture on an overseas supply mission, and the engineers hoped this would demonstrate the Usefulness of the ship without a heli. Then DoD scrubbed the mission, and the capability was never demonstrated. I understand the plan was for at least 6 TEU, plus Mowags on the helideck. The Effer crane by the Main Gun was also removed during this time, as its location was quite exposed, and constant maintenance required to keep it functional had become pointless.

The latter addition of a crane on the helideck was a surprise to me, as in one go it ruled out any use of the helideck for many of the planned uses, and all operations with aircraft. Given the redesign that had taken place to fit the Caley davits and Ribs on single point launchers P&S ,surely Locating this crane further aft closer to the stern could have kept the helideck available as a clear space for most uses, with a folding crane that gave sufficient reach to lift from the helideck? Indeed why was a decision not made to fit a Cradle for the 3rd Rib aft of the helideck too, permanently? There is plenty of space there.

Just noticed there today, PAK airforce purchasing a 25 J10c’s. I think they are the first customer and are stating it’s much performance wise than the F16(potential purchase for IAC)

Now that the main opponents of LOA3 have been proven as Putin puppets, definitely. There is even huge support to Cathal Berry's idea of giving Ukraine our anti tank missiles (instead of inevitably writing them off when they become time expired).

Even the point of neutrality is suddenly getting much discussion.

Just stop. Please.

i Like his attitude towards defence you can actually see he cares about it, loa3 I really hope gets moving soon faster than currently going as the Russians look like they are sustaining heavy loses it’s only a matter of time before something gets dropped into the Atlantic aimed at a data cable, Russia is currently offline with cyber attacks from every angle and the swift is removed so they will hit everyone else harder or at least try. We need to up our game asap..

100%.

Who would have thought that this question, so long debated in conceptual form, as an outlier of possibilities, could come to pass so literally and so starkly and in times of such peril.

Well it's too late now.

I think the question of joining NATO will come up soon... Maybe a referendum?

It's a very, very complicated area, legally.

Successive Governments have said they will not change our policy of triple lock Neutrality without a referendum. The problem being, Neutrality is not in the constitution, so a referendum isn't needed. And it's not a good idea to put it in there, because it hamstrings any legislative response by the Oireachtas to unforeseen geopolitics, which is not a position you want to be in should the sh1t hit the fan.

What is in the Constitution is Article 29. 4. 9

Now, that on its own, does not guarantee neutrality in itself. We could declare war on Russia tomorrow over the Ukraine invasion, so long as we didn't join a common defence as envisaged by Article 42 of the Lisbon Treaty beforehand.

Hell, we could even join NATO and not violate that Article!

It's a mess, it needs a citizens assembly, followed by a special purpose joint Oireachtas Committee to hear submissions and make a recommendation to the Government of the day, to repeal that Constitutional clause and hold a plebiscite on preferred steps forward.

I wonder will they be let take all the aircraft out of Russia? I'mean the leased ones. I understand that not all will be in Russia but still it will be interesting to see if they allow the return of those that are.

1 billion in surplus taxation recorded in February but has been war marked for additional funding for the DF….what can be got with that.