It is described as "policy induced austerity and on-going political instability". Bad decisions and bad Government. When you look at the industrial recovery elsewhere including the losers in WW11. It took years of enticing multinationals to get 5hings moving. our difficulty with defence is we think cost and lack a strategic sense of responsibility.
I think we are saying we shouldn't give lip service to defence and security it's essential not a luxury. Which is how we've always treated it.
I do agree.
I think however you can get a lot of capability with modest equipment. We don't always need top end equipment.
We don't need other nations second hand cast offs either. We need modern state of the art kit.
Point being I'm not sure there was the appetite for rearming at the time.
I think that debatable. If I got a great deal on a 10yr old used 911 I'm not sure I'd turn it up.
You would the first time you needed to pay for faults, replacement parts.
It would still in net terms be vastly cheaper than buying a new one.
You ever try keeping a Classic car in good condition with original parts...
I see the M-346 Master will be coming to the Bray air show. I wonder will they be attempting to some cold call sales to the air corps when they are here?
Do enlighten us to the critical role of our AirForce
Kept a few tractors going. Well like not all the switches work but it moves and comes to a stop eventually
We are going to have to establish an air defense capability…following on from this caper
for an island nation to have no jet fighter aircraft, is an obscene level of oversight over decades.
if in 2012 we committed to receiving 5 a year on staggered payments we’d have 50 fighter jets…
Switzerland, another neutral country has 52 fighter jet aircraft…
Irelands landmass is roughly 70% larger than Switzerland’s yet we’ve not a single jet fighter.
Ireland is a geographically peripheral island nation with not a single reliable and reasonable means of defending itself from attack by air….
WHY ?
‘sure it’ll be grand, sure we have no enemies’
’wouldn’t we rather give that money to xx country to help them, sure we are grand, we’ve loads of stuff, like airports and roads, and Rte. ’
really does put an appalling focus on decision makers and people being paid an awful lot of taxpayers money to look after our wellbeing..
i wonder did anyone in senior military rank ever lobby the governments for investment in air defence…fighters ?
don’t know but the response was obviously not what they’d have wanted to hear, yet here we are….
You plan for worse case, that way if it happens you are prepared…. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail….
The Italians could fit us with everything for the air corps , Jets,Transports and helicopters. I am sure like the french they would offer a good PCP deal
I hope not, shes not re heat capable.
Quality replies take time.
It would never get to the balloon payment there all bascially fiats so they be back in the garage broke down in 18 months
hopefully not!
In July 2021 the manufacturer made a presentation to the Irish Commission on the DF about this aircraft.
I've seen one demonstrating at Farnborough. Very impressive rate of climb. Can climb almost vertically. Has twin engines and is transonic. Also has a very hefty weapons payload.
Might as well buy these and get on with the job onstead of procrastinating. Lots of other Air Forces are using them, so must be good enough for our lads.
Ah Jonny the problem is them Italian jets only have a coffee cup holder for expresso size cups its know fact the air corps lads only drink large lattes when flying!
I've heard that holder is for a crafty wee glass of Italian brandy. Bit of the auld Dutch courage comes in handy!
Just leaving this here for the craic 😁
That's like the shite of having PC-9s for the Light Strike roll. That's fine if you're chasing a few lads in a Hilux armed with AK 47s. Totally useless when you're trying to intercept a Bear or Blackjack cruising at 500kts
No Afterburner, I repeat in CAPITALS.......NO AFTERBURNER, AFTERBURN/REHEAT IS REQUIRED.
Just ignore. F-16 or Gripen is the only way to go for us really.
I think people think a compromise is decent upgrade offer what we have and it's more realistically achieved.
This thread is going for years. We are no closer to anything. Are we?
Has anything in the DF improved over the same period? A compromise leaves us just a tarted up BS that we’ve had since 1922.
All the countrys that are buying the F35s i wonder would there be any deals out there to pick up there f16s or f18s
Not likely to be F18s as they had a smaller user base and I think Canada has picked up all the Australian ones for example to try and keep their fleet going due to the political delay of ordering the 35, F16s certainly either from nations trading up or from the Boneyard, just depends on what spec, what flight hours and what the budget is.
A monumental waste of money. Who in their right mind would invade Ireland? Given our relationships with the US and even the British I'd wager that in the highly unlikely event of an invasion the US army and British army would be here in a matter of hours and any potential imaginary invaders know this.
You hit the nail on the head a waste of money the same way having house insurance or having armed garda in the west of ireland why would you need any of that stuff
