Fighter jets for the Air Corps?

One of the Ukrainian pilots that was killed in action recently was 58! Quite why a Lt. Colonel in Ireland thinks he shouldnt fly because of his rank escapes me. Alt Col is middle management and such pilots continue to fly in the airline business, because it's their core job. As long as any pilot can pass his or her Class 1 medical, they should be on the flying schedule and not prioritising desk over cockpit. Fly less if you have to but still fly.

In fairness i'd say that's the kind of time span we are looking at anyway. We'll be lucky if we have any type of fighter before 2030

I see that Saab have lost out on their bid to provide Gripens to Canada who have decided to go with the F35 instead. Good opportunity for the DOD / AC to enter into a dialog with Saab to supply Ireland.

Software and systems obsolescence seems to what's causing a lot of early retirement of aircraft.

The Gryphon modular systems are meant to be easier to upgrade. I think that's why it's being sold in such a variety of custom options to different operators.

What those modular mean here? It's actually easy to swap out electrics. Cpu Gpu Ssd Nvme all easy to swap out now days. Software is always changing. Is the griphen advertising something that is just the norm

F22 isn't for sale so it doesn't matter here

Be a bad idea to ignore an issue/feature that has airframes being retired. Even countries that are not in NATO want to have systems that are interoperable with NATO systems going forward. So they can train and do joint exercises. So we should be cautious about taking old systems that countries with deeper pockets are retiring due to consolidating on type or newer systems/avionics etc.

This not *4th is*

Autocorrect on the mobile is a pita.

Now that the British are out of the EU,

the nearest UN / EU compatriots that would be obliged to help or could help us would be from where ?

Russia attacks from the West….., Spain, France, Portugal, a Scandinavian country or two to get a few jets here, ? You’d be talking an hour at best from the alarm ? By my guesstimating…. A lot of damage to be done ….

would the US and British mobilise support ? , likely given the relationships between each other and the self interests it would serve for them.

is it likely to be required, no…then again, the statement from Russia re: expelling diplomats that it “ won’t go unanswered “… is a threat, not a violent one but not diplomatic and nothing is clarified… why not just kick out the Irish ambassador to Russia, a higher tariff on Irish imports…?

“wont go unanswered” is not diplomatic , it’s a threat… not one likely to come to fruition but a threat, and what have we got ?…

people Qing to get into the country, and eight of these… with which to defend the entirety of it, and us… good luck with that…

No the Russian response is not a military threat, it’s a normal diplomatic response, most likely one of our staff in Moscow will be told to bugger off home and that will be that…

You don't seem to familiar with Russia.

https://twitter.com/umlandandreas/status/790286236078469120

First are you actually surprised by this article, there’s nothing new in it for anyone that has any interest in defence? Spoiler, we have never in the history of the state had the capability to control one defend our airspace, nor seas and never has the public given a shite. Mainly as the nation was so dirt poor through out that period and always because the politicians know there is feck all political value in spending on defence as the voters don’t care at best, hate it at worst. We all ready have some of our Left TDs screaming about defence spending and how that could be the solution to all other issues in the state instead, and voters will believe the likes of them.

Through the ‘90’s and up to about 2007 we were pretty damn well off.

what did we do with the money…, roads, some housing sure…. But in terms of doing anything for a bad day ? . tens of millions of funding for the GAA… but can’t defend the country ?…. Fûck all use spending millions on all weather pitches from Carrigaline to Clones that could end up with bomb damage because we won’t defend them.

Not really no, up to the mid 90s we were still spending over 1% on defence, but again the size of the economy meant in real terms that it wasn’t enough. Through the 00s nobody in Ireland gave a shite about defence, apart from the left attacking Shannon. Again you seem to think this is somehow a new situation, not the same situation that has been the case since 1922. There was outrage when the new OPVs were bought for example with demands that the 30+ year old P20s be kept inservice instead.

it is sadly the norm, and even if the reported increases happen, fighters are still unlikely and well down on the list.