Fighter jets for the Air Corps?

Ah come on now Roadie, I'm a realist. And I think most of us are here.

Although I will say, if you told me 5 years ago we'd be where we are in terms of reorganisation and level of ambition, I wouldn't have believed it, so maybe Harris will yet deliver on his fighter interceptor squadron, at least with some sort of bi-lateral agreement with the French and an increase in pilot officers being recruited and going into advanced training.

Austria is also looking at actual fighter procurement in the competition of the Rafale and Typhoon.

You'll always get public opprobrium about defence acquisitions, especially in neutral countries, but good government is about doing something because it is right, not because it is popular.

And Austria are going about this exactly the correct way.

Its important to note, the Luftstreitkräfte still retains a dozen PC-7s and a handful of native DA40 Diamond Stars for basic training. So the M-346 will perform the dual roles of Lead In Fighter Trainer and Light Strike fighter, which is just as important to a landlocked, mountainous territory like Austria, where a small, nimble ground attack plane, that can operate very effectively at slow speed, would back up the land component.

In fact, I'd hold up the Austrian Air Force as an absolute model for what the Irish Air Force should be, at least when it comes to the fixed wing element. Obviously our large maritime responsibilities do need a different approach to rotary and MPA, which we are already addressing.

Only in your head.

They said "Fighter Trainer and Light Strike fighter". Neither of which are interceptor.

Wasted all that time and effort to create a troll account more like

And sure there was no need to spend on defence in the 1930s either, there weren’t any international issues then… Not like it left us vulnerable or anything….

Given the state of global affairs and the likely future issues, it’s pretty amazing that you can predict what will and won’t be needed, maybe you should offer your services to the all the other nations ramping up their defence spending.

Do you have a link to that Cnocbui? The articles I've read re: Thailand buying more Gripens are a 4 jet buy for €500 million. There is an ambition to buy 12 over next 10yrs to replace F16A/B but no order for additional 8 as yet and certainly nothing I can find regarding buying 12 for €500 million.

Thailand are also acquiring Meteor & upgrading their SAAB 340 as part of their fleet renewal.

Returning to the case of Thailand, it is necessary to emphasize that the compensation package offered by the Swedish government was decisive in Thailand's decision to purchase 12 Gripen E/F fighter jets.

Thus, the economic and technological elements included in the offer helped the Saab Gripen to beat the American competitor F-16 Block 70/72.

When the final bids were submitted in August last year, an analysis by Defense News recalls that Saab promised: "The Swedish proposal will ensure the best return on investment for Thailand, exceeding the value of the contract, through a well-structured, long-term plan covering key areas of critical technologies and national capabilities for Thailand."

The compensation package offered by Saab, equivalent to about 155% of the program's value, has proven particularly appealing to Thailand, a nation eager to develop its aerospace industry and technological autonomy.

A key element of Sweden's proposal is Link-T, a data transmission system developed by Saab specifically for Thailand. Currently, only a few Thai aircraft and a few warships are equipped with this system.

Bangkok will now obtain the intellectual property rights for the unlimited use and expansion of Link-T. "Saab will transfer the Link-T development capabilities to the Royal Thai Air Force and the local defense industry," the Swedish company said.

Link-T will improve Thailand's ability to conduct multi-domain operations. Given that the U.S. maintains strict control over its own communications systems, Lockheed Martin's F-16 bid could not compete in this regard.

Also, the two Saab 340 early warning aircraft already owned by Thailand will be modernized, with local participation. A local maintenance, repair and overhaul centre for the Gripen will also be set up.

Moreover, Thai companies will enter the supply chain of the Gripen program, having the opportunity to manufacture components such as tires, bearings, clamps and parts for the aircraft structure.

https://www.defenseromania.ro/care-a-fost-factorul-decisiv-care-a-adus-intr-un-final-victoria-avioanelor-gripen-in-fata-f-16-viper-dupa-10-ani-de-infrangeri-pe-linie_634077.html

My bad, I was distracted by the package extras and mislead by the way the article was constructed.

On the subject of fast jets…if we were looking at gettin (say) Gripens or Rafales....don't you think an initial buy of say 4 LIFT aircraft might be needed. Say Hurjet or them Italian 345's? Ya can't expect the lads to jump from a PC9 to a gen 4.5 in one leap?

I agree. If urgency is the primary motivation (which it may become, but isn't now) then you buy the fast jets and you train your pilot officers abroad in an existing LIFT setup, just as we have done in the UK, US and Australia.

We will replace the PC-9 anyway, because its the entry level for all aircraft types, but the jet project needs to be treated as a separate end-to-end process.

Looks pretty affordable....we could probably make do with 18 units.

That's for gripen e/f , not the older ,smaller c/ d

Pc9 replacement due now. This looks the part

https://youtu.be/s2eKoD9kaKA?si=J1ODThktkX_K7n6d