Fighter jets for the Air Corps?

If any of the P60s could catch up with an aircraft that would be something special to see

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was, but to me that just brings us back to “token for the sake of token”, between the numbers and the long discussed lack of supports.

When you add on weapons and extra fuel tanks would the Fa50 still go supersonic?

We do and again is 8 enough when you add in maintenance, training, usage? TBH the taking off from roadways isn’t relevant to us at all, it’s not going to happen even if we had aircraft meant for it.

Who knows really, I’m a bit doubtful that it’s anything active, might just have been a way to undercut RBB’s habit of claiming crazy costings whenever he talks about defence procurement.

I meant our issues (ie Radar, people, base facilities), not any issue with the aircraft itself.

Well, apart from ALL that, of course..

I'm sure our government will have all that in place by the time we roll onto LOA3....

Dont worry in less than 2 weeks the government will lay out all the timelines from the commissions report!

Block 20 should be well established in Polish service by then, at the promised rate of delivery.

That block 20 has a bloody impressive spec and can be bought with air to air refuelling capability. Ideal plane for the AC IMO.

We can go in circles here, but we are at best 10-15 years away from QRA. We need to build up the basic air policing skills first, and the FA50 at present is the only thing that can do it any way competently, with obvious limitations. We have never:

Operated anything with missiles

Operated Fighters with radar

Operated anything that is supersonic

Our G suit experience is minimal at best, used in a TP trainer for aerobatic manouvers, not taking off and teaching cruising height seconds later on full afterburner

Operated anything with an internal cannon in the working life of current Air Corps pilots.

We need to build up the skills again, an interim aircraft is, in my opinion, a better solution than forking out big money for aircraft that will take a decade to build up experience on.

We just passed our test on a Honda 50. If we took the keys of a GSXR tomorrow there would be only one outcome. Maybe try something in the 250-500cc range first.

Alternatively, if you don't know motorcycles.

We just passed our test on an Opel Corsa. If we could afford to buy a Ferrari F40, it would be wasted on us and might end up embedded in a wall. Maybe get some experience on a Ford Focus or similar first?

Forget about F16s, any spare F16 for the next few years will be going to Ukraine. Unit cost for Block 70 is climbing exponentially, and again, priority will be given to Ukraine, to (a) end the Russian invasion and (b) get them flying a NATO common airframe.

I think it’s important though that this has finally started getting more and more air time.

Something that 5 years ago you’d barely read anything about. The government surely knows that they won’t have a choice once the Ps become obsolete.

If that offer is genuine then the government should bite their hands off at it and then build up from there. We have to start somewhere and the Koreans are really making a serious effort promoting their craft

To be honest I'd say Berry's comment about a lease is because he read in some periodical that some Asian state is leasing 8 of the type, so he's aware that leases are available to Countries in good standing with Korea.

When it comes to the PC-9s, they will most likely be replaced by the PC-21 or similar. A primary trainer is still needed for all fixed wing training as you can't simply put a cadet in a supersonic jet and say have at it. Even a twin-seater.

I wouldn't object to the FA-50 being leased, it's a fine aircraft and would no doubt aid pilot officer recruitment and retention, but what is the business case for them? What gap identified on the CoDF report do they solve?

And when it comes to the Implementation Group, it would be a very difficult circle to square, if stuff not in LoA2 and not in the list of immediate priorities started arriving.

The whole point of the implementation plan is to build capability in a logical order, that takes account of a) immediate need and gaps and b) the ability of the Forces to adopt them, train on them and put them quickly into effective operational service.

The flip side of all the public discourse and attention on the Defence Forces, is that scrutiny of developments will be greater, whether from the Oireachtas, the media, or the Tankies.

How many ground radar stations would we need to cover our coast line ,

Im assuming theyre better built on hill tops, ( which we've no shortage of ) ,

Would we need more stations than the civillian air traffic control radars that currently exist ..

And would they need military security ?

Or any sort of AA systems to protect them ? , ( As in , if we think we need them , then we need to protect them for the times that we actually need them ..