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Ireland’s airspace vulnerability and alleged secret deal with RAF

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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.

Close up of Irish Air Corps Pilatus PC-9 in flight
Irish Defence Forces, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Second WC-135R delivered to Offutt AFB

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Offutt Air Force Base has recently received the second of three refurbished WC-135R surveillance aircraft, commonly known as “nuke-sniffers”. Tail number 64-14831 arrived at the base after being converted by defense contractor L3Harris under the supervision of the U.S.Air Force’s “Big Safari” program. The new aircraft is part of the 55th Wing’s mission to detect atmospheric radiation, particularly from events such as North Korean weapons tests or nuclear submarine bases in the Russian Arctic, in support of the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

WC-135R Constant Phoenix tail number 64-14831 arrives May 11, 2023, at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The first WC-135R, tail number 64-14836, was delivered in July, so this is the second of three the 55th Wing will receive as the Air Force is modifying KC-135R Stratotankers to replace the now retired WC-135C/W fleet (Air Force photo by Nicholas Harnack).

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