Fighter jets for the Air Corps?

Russia has lots resources especially of strategic aircraft that it can use to cause trouble around the world if it so wishes. Putin has spent considerable resources trying to build to those back up. Ironically some having been bought back from Ukraine and some decommissioned and scrapped by Ukraine.

The Ukraine war is still limited in that is only using up certain types of resources.

Not that Russia is the only reason you need to police your airspace.

And the fact that we have already picked sides since joining the EU (arguably we had since WW2 just didn’t do anything about it), this “military neutral but not political neutral” BS doesn’t matter a jot to anyone outside of Ireland, they see us as part of the West just the same as everyone else, and given what our economy is now certainly a target.

Yes there are more pressing matters to attend to for the DF, but the current situation seems unlikely to go on as is regarding control of our airspace long term.

If we're looking for threats then look no further..

'The Russian Embassy in Dublin has warned that Ireland will suffer “all consequences” if Irish citizens are encouraged to fight in Ukraine.

The same will happen if Russia considers Ireland a “direct participant” in the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to a statement from the embassy posted on a social media site.

Former minister of foreign affairs Charlie Flanagan has now called for Russian Ambassador Yuriy Filatov and his staff to be expelled from the country, describing the statement as “threatening, intimidating, and chilling”

I've always liked the idea of light fighter with limited A2A capability. But I don't think it was popular on this thread.

The other point it's not that much cheaper than the Gripen and indeed compared to late model F16 the Gripen is a much lighter aircraft anyway.

Why would it have been popular?

We have zero need for a fixed wing tactical support aircraft and even if our mechanised infantry did come up to 21st Century standard, the natural air support would be helicopters and drones.

In terms of jet aircraft, we need an interceptor with decent range and endurance. If it happens to have some air-to-ground capability, that's a bonus.

@AerLingus747 "don't you get it... no body want to attack Ireland, so you don't need any air cover, even with high level politicians... nobody will want to attack Ireland or the people in it from the air... plus the RAF are just a few mins away, they'll do it no probs."

There are two problems with this reasoning, firstly we canot be sure, or even reasonably confident, that the threat level you mention will stay that way, and since it takes time to develop Air Defence capability, perhaps a decade, we potentialy need to be thinking about AD now. The second problem is that the UK is no longer a reliable partner, and it is making unhappy noise, via military magazines, but also in the Tory press, the Daily Telegraph, Daily Express in particular, to say that they are not happy that Ireland appears rely on the UK for defence a century after indy. This may mean hat the UK is considering withdrwing its assistance, or asking Ireland to pay for it, which, you can bet, will be no cheaper than Ireland acquiring AD capability itself.

Other problems, as discussed in the thread above, is that the RAF is no longer the force it was, and in a conflict situation, it would not have the aircraft or aircrews to protect both Britain and Ireland.

@delusiondestroyer

If the facts are decades of no major incidents, then surely you would argue that the UK does not need any air defences either? Would you make that argument?

More Russian potential threats..

'The Defence Forces has confirmed it monitored four Russian navy and commercial vessels as they travelled off the Irish coast last week.

The group included the Admiral Grigorovich, which is armed with cruise missiles and has been used in attacks on Ukraine since the start of Russian’s invasion in February 2022.

Russia military ships, or ships connected to the Russia Government, have become frequent visitors to Irish waters in recent years prompting concern among some experts that they are mapping or interfering with subsea cables off the Irish west coast.

The latest group also included the Kama, which regularly accompanies the Grigorovich and acts as a support vessel. The other two ships were not identified.'

@delusiondestroyer

"You do realize that the UK is in NATO right?"

The UK is a sovereign state, like Ireland. It could choose to shut down the RAF, even leave nato, and no one could do nothing, and by your criterion of need , which is decades without any action carried out against it, is does not need an airforce.

Reduction ad absurdum....

Your argument is clearly ridiculous if you say one country does not need an airforce if the criterion is met, but not another country of the criterion is met. I have come to the conclusion that your motive here is no more to prove that you are terribly clever. At least everyone can see that you are failing to do that.