Fighter jets for the Air Corps?

But it’s garnishing more attention which I hope puts pressure on the government to stop this nonsense once and for all

Unless you had a 60 minute warning i just dont see how the UK could help, besides when it comes to russian aircraft the RAF only go as far as the northern edge of irish air space where the russians fly down the west coast on there own untill they are met by the french when they head towards there area

If a situation like below where to happen it would be to late to intercept

What do you think happens when you shoot it down.

Even a marvel movie would find a plot where you shoot a plane down onto an exact spot quite far fetched.

"We'll shoot them on to the runway"

Of course you're not going to control it. But people with knowledge of such dynamics can calculate, with fair accuracy, the debris fan of an aircraft of such a mass, at such an altitude, at such a speed, being shot down at a given point along its course. It gives options for the lesser of two evils if nothing else.

Remember the Payne Stewart ghost jet crash? Before the engines flamed out, the Air National Guard units and FAA had calculations available to them, as to what window of airspace the plane would starve of fuel and that let them consider whether it would be better to let that happen and have it crash in one piece, in open country, or to shoot it down in pieces earlier, if there were a population centre in the impact window.

Its certainly not as utterly random as you make out.

There is always a decision tree of how and when lethal force would be used in such a situation in nations that have the capability to actually do so, for us debating what/when and where such force might be used is relatively pointless as we don’t even know what is in our controlled airspace without being told.

Of course they won’t like anything to do with the U.K., and while still in opposition will like make hay from it and declare how they would do things different, but when they end up in Government, I doubt they would back the spending needed.

Mary Lou's speech at the weekend would suggest they have no intention of implementing the Defence Commission report recommendations, however, if they need FF to support them in a coalition, I can't see FF agreeing with this policy.

Then again FF, FG, LP & GP have also presided over the reduction in real terms in Irish defence spending since the mid '90's.

SF still have major issues with the Irish Defence Forces, many of their members would like to see Irish defence abolished as some sort of perverted revenge for the Civil War.

If SF were to increase defence spending when in government & / or coalition, it would be a major stop forward in their credentials to be a proper democratic political party.

I do think pressure is being brought to bear by EU nations & governments, the USA & UK on the present Irish government, this will continue in future, SF will have to take account of this. They also would have to seriously tone down their traditional Euro scepticism policies.

I’d pretty much agree with this, the Primary Radar purchase could be the major additional ticket item for the current capital plan (though could we get the fecking Flagship actually having steel cut?), and as you mentioned the upper limits of procurement capacity of the DF/DOD would need to be addressed. However perhaps a “two for” as wel instead of upping current spending with additional pay might be accelerating the investment in the DF facilities? Better accommodation or facilities might help retention as well and isn’t anything with “sticker shock”? Outside of one offs, it’s not beyond the capacity of the budget to add say €100 million to the defence budget outside of capital spend I would say.

Them PC9's are supposed to have an out of service date of 2025. Why not replace them with PC21's which are considered to be a more viable LIFT aircraft?

As regular discussions here show, there is no point thinking about Ts unless we have Fs to LI to.

Don't need a fighter to not shoot it down every time... just saying.... :)

I just couldn't remember anytime it had happened. Where an unresponsive airliner was shot down to save a populated area.

Though coincidentally watched "Cry of The Innocent (1980)" recently.

We join NATO IMHO. Equally do we think Denmark or Finland etc could credibly defeat the Russians singlehanded? All being equal I dont, nor do they, as they have voted with their feet and are in a military alliance. However, I don’t hear their defence (albeit much more potent than ours) being decried. The point of defence is to provide some form of deterrent and to also put something on the table so your allies are not doing all!the heavy lifting or assuming all the risk. De facto we are not neutral - in the air domain it has been revealed properly now we are in a (one sided)defence pact with the UK ….