No top cover for IRCG heli 200 nm off Shannon

Klunk001

Found this in another site, A bit disturbing for the crews I would think.



"Ironic the Casa can make it to Bray, no top-cover available from the AC last night 200nm off Shannon".

http://forum.irishmilitaryonline.com/showthread.php?p=308525#post308525


Maybe top cover might have to go the private route just like the heli SAR service.

xflyer

Quite bluntly the majority of the Air Corps so called service can and should be privatised. SAR is private so should top cover for SAR. The Air Corps has consistently displayed that it is incapable of providing the cover required. No fault to them, simply a question of resources.

The Air Corps should be all helicopter and a corps of the Army. Every other function, essentially 'aid to the civil power' would be more efficiently done with civilian contractors.

The Air Corps as we know it is obsolete.

Aerohead

I think its time to sell of the Government Jets all they do is stay parked in Baldonnel until some minister wants to go on some jolly. They should be sold and the Air Corps given a Hercules or similar to provide search and rescue and top cover for Coastguard helicopters.

Klunk001

Aircraft are not the problem, people getting the finger out are.

FiSe

xflyer wrote: »

Quite bluntly the majority of the Air Corps so called service can and should be privatised. SAR is private so should top cover for SAR. The Air Corps has consistently displayed that it is incapable of providing the cover required. No fault to them, simply a question of resources.

The Air Corps should be all helicopter and a corps of the Army. Every other function, essentially 'aid to the civil power' would be more efficiently done with civilian contractors.

The Air Corps as we know it is obsolete.

Can you tell us what kind of service wasn't privatised yet?
Well, apart from MAT.

The Air Corps was always obsolete, since 1922. The lack of proper and clear vision of what exactly is the purpose of the IAC plays a big part in it, in my opinion, as well as incompetence of political leaders.

balkanhawk

Hi,

From what I know the CASA aircraft are primarily a maritime patrol aircraft. That mission is assigned to the Air Corps by government and i believe funding from the EU is received to do this.

If the government tell the Defence Forces to provide 24hr cover for SAR then they will do it, simple. Im guessing that this has not occurred as no Service Level Agreement or MoU specifically requesting 24hr cover exists (that i know of). If the resources are not available (dont forget the recruitment embargo and budget cuts) then the mission cannot be safely accomplished.

xflyer

FiSe wrote: »

Can you tell us what kind of service wasn't privatised yet?
Well, apart from MAT.

The Air Corps was always obsolete, since 1922. The lack of proper and clear vision of what exactly is the purpose of the IAC plays a big part in it, in my opinion, as well as incompetence of political leaders.

Indeed, though it pains me to say it being an Air Corps enthusiast after all. At least in 1922 it was state of the art. Since then it's effectively a flying club apart from the SAR function now gone. In WW2 it was ineffective. The Luftwaffe and RAF roamed at will over Ireland.

Right now it has no role that couldn't be done by civilians. I include troop transport. In Chad they hired civilian helicopters. Imagine that, they had to hire civilians to fly troops around even though we have some very fancy green painted helicopters which apparently are undeployable almost anywhere outside Dublin?

It's an ongoing disgrace.

xflyer

If the government tell the Defence Forces to provide 24hr cover for SAR then they will do it, simple. Im guessing that this has not occurred as no Service Level Agreement or MoU specifically requesting 24hr cover exists (that i know of). If the resources are not available (dont forget the recruitment embargo and budget cuts) then the mission cannot be safely accomplished.

The Air Corps are incapable of providing it. Even before the recruitment embargo they couldn't provide it. Remember the SAR helicopter debacle? The Air Corps disgraced itself with that. They couldn't cope with being deployed to Sligo for heavens sake. Remember the Dauphins? Two were capable of being ship borne. Did you ever wonder why that was quietly dropped? The aircrew were most reluctant to spend weeks on ships away from home and the golf club presumably.

balkanhawk

Of course they are capable of providing it, what a ridiculous statement to make. At least one CASA, sometime two, is out there everyday patrolling. Just ask a Shannon controller if you know one. It is equipped with the best of equipment including air droppable rafts. As i said early, if the organisation is tasked to provide a 24hr cover then im sure they will. I dont think it is a case of the crews being lazy as they fly weekends anyway, its a question of allocating adequate resources.

Out of curiosity, how many SAR topcover requests are made each year? maybe one a week. I dont think having a private aircraft of similar capability as the CASA on standby 27/7/365 would be cost effective.

Incidentally, the GOC Air Corps has been promoted to Major General and his new job is Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations). May be a good thing for the future of the Air Corps.

punchdrunk

read the thread over on IMO,there was a SAR roster done for the casa at the start of the year that failed,literally within weeks

I know the ICG lads would rather have top cover on all long range jobs if given the choice