Ireland’s air defenses have been a topic of discussion among national security sources due to a significant gap in the country’s air defenses. The Irish Air Corps lacks an aircraft to respond to almost all incoming suspicious and threatening aircraft, and the state is also completely blind to what is in its airspace due to a complete lack of primary military radar. To fill this gap, Ireland depends on the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other countries to respond to flights.
Irish Defence Forces, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opposition TDs have demanded an answer from Tánasite Micheál Martin and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar regarding a supposed secret deal with the RAF to police Irish skies, which has caused a ripple through the political ranks. However, Martin has denied that Ireland relies on an agreement with the British and claimed the reporting was inaccurate, while Varadkar stated that Ireland does depend on international partners to assist in national security measures. Senator Gerard Craughwell has issued proceedings in the High Court to determine if the deal exists.
A suspicious aircraft usually enters Irish airspace due to a malfunctioning or accidentally turned off transponder, and an Air Traffic Control source said a radio call usually solves the problem. However, when there is no communication, fighters are sent up to check on the crew. The other type is a military aircraft, usually Russian Bear bombers, which come out of their bases in Russia and make a run down the Western seaboard of Europe, and on a few occasions, those aircraft have skirted close to Irish airspace. According to a security source, this is “diplomacy through other means” and is similar to how the Russians used their naval vessels to intimidate Ireland and the EU shortly before war broke out in Ukraine by conducting naval exercises off the Irish coast.
While nations such as the UK and the RAF bolstered their air defenses in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to deal with the new threat, Ireland spent nothing to ensure its air defenses, and instead, according to sources, doubled down on a deal it had with the British Government.
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