Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Touche you two ,touche

@Donald Trump @Widdensushi

@briany If worst comes worst, Ireland will need to have spent far more on defence than it is probably currently able to without making major cuts in other areas of public spending or proposing massive tax hikes, neither of which would be politically popular at all..

I honestly don't think it would need to make major cuts or tax hikes to properly equip the Defense forces, possibly we could add 1-1.5 billion per year to the current budget to bring the budget to 2 billon per year,we could purchase a modern primary radar , someone quoted 36 million for 16-18 Saab gripen jets ,and the development of a new purpose built modern air base ,

It's not going to cost tens or multiples of that being spent , along side massively increasing cyber security and secure infrastructure,

It's about spending Smart in the right places and bringing the right resources,

Over the next 10 years 250 billion + will be spent on social welfare alone, the defense budget will currently less than 10 billion which about half will be wages and pensions,

We won't be buying aircraft carriers ,f35s and Abrams tanks, we don't need them but we do need aircraft that can intercept targets in our airspace, but there options available, we don't necessarily need Abrams tanks, but we could use IFV to protect infantry troops here and over seas with the UN ,we could also look into drones something like the MQ9s that can be leased they give an option for Long range aerial reconnisence which could be used by the Naval service, Gardai and army ,

Cheaper than specific aircraft and can fly loiter for 22 + hours ,

Cyber security,as I mentioned the budget for social welfare,25billion per year and increasing but if an outside or inside player attacks the welfare cyber systems like we saw with the hse very recently, people won't get payments,no rents,no utilities get paid and all hell brakes loose,

It all has to go hand in hand defense systems can't just be bullets and jets we need to protect our vital infrastructures

An adult conversation will have to be had and decisions made ,we can't keep ignoring the new world order doesn't play by the rules anymore

Let's go nuts, spend 5billion a year,cut everything to fund it, yeah we still can't defend ourselves....

But you can do both side by side building cyber systems to protect vital infrastructure but we also need to physically protect vital infrastructure along the way,we don't need big ticket military item for power projection over seas but we do need to properly equip the Defense forces to protect our state and vital infrastructure,

We've had people telling us bakhmut is gone for months now and yet it's still very much in Ukrainan control,

Now they got to salt mine and suddenly we're getting the same predictions,

The Russians move forward for half a day then over night Ukrainian artillery and drones hammer the orcs before they fall back and repeat over and over.

Mystical meg's haven't predicted anything correctly yet

I did say "worst comes to worst", ie a situation that would require Ireland to have a large and reasonably well-equipped military.

Having some jets to scramble and other installations to protect infrastructure who enemies of the west might deem strategically significant wouldn't be a bad idea, however. Still, I don't think it will happen until enough pressure is put on an Irish government, and I have the feeling that such pressure would come from international partners long before it came from the electorate.

What? Grippens are around $61m a piece.

Half that depending on variant and equipment load out ,it's the one of the cheapest aircraft in it's category .

I believe you can least 10 aircraft+ 2 two seat trainers for around 700 million over 10 years with the ability to extend the lease or buy outright,and as more are built the cost per unit of falls ,

That or keep buying trainer aircraft that can't intercept foreign or unidentified aircraft,and can't carry modern armourments either,

Zero increase in capabilities while costing Money,

While the Saabs give you a modern multirole aircraft , with modern radar, avionics and armourments, on a tight budget

The French Leclerc is operational as well. It would be behind the other in capability but ahead of the Russian T90

With the new weaponry being provided by the US and others such as more agile and faster tanks, would this suggest that a lightening offensive is being planned in the spring/summer?

"I believe you can least 10 aircraft+ 2 two seat trainers for around 700 million over 10 years with the ability to extend the lease or buy outright,and as more are built the cost per unit of falls ,"

For that sort of money the Irish government could set up a good drone technology training, development and production centre. The russian invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the day to day action on the modern battlefield is governed by drone technology and the piloted jet fighters are too expensive to risk near front line combat zones with improved anti aircraft missiles. Our airspace is surrounded by nations we are allied with so an investment of large sums of money in an enemy aircraft intercept capability would not be the best way to go in my opinion. Drone technology investment could see much more return for the country with even export markets and peace time applications of what might be developed possible.

Temperatures have dropped considerably overnight in the east.

A link please for these costs you are quoting, because what you are claiming seems absolute nonsense:

"someone quoted 36 million for 16-18 Saab gripen jets ,and the development of a new purpose built modern air base"

€36 million is slightly more than half the publicly available cost for one plane, not 17 of them plus an airfield. Building a modern airfield is likely to cost well over a billion, not millions, let alone some tiny fraction of €36m.

You are not going to buy a modern air defence force for the cost of the windows in a modern childrens hospital.

One of the few countries to equip with the JAS-39 Grippen is Brazil:

Thats working out at €130.5m per plane. Your figures seem like pure fantasy.

Get 6 F-16s and operate them out of Knock.

Almost as bad as a significant number of Republican politicians in the US, not to mention Tucker Carlson and so on.

Amazing what money can buy you