Apparently the orders have been given for the military radar system for the Republic of Ireland and now it's a "done deal" for Ireland.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/ireland-to-acquire-500million-french-radar-system-to-strengthen-national-airspace-security#google_vignette
Staying on the subject of French kit for the DF. Very interesting and thorough article a bout the latest compact frigate from Naval group. Some piece of kit! A couple of them would come in dead handy.
https://search.app/gAh1U
They are ideal for us....not that it will happen but they are almost a perfect fit.
I think they would be a very good choice for the Republic of Ireland.
Funny this thread started 2009 to its progression. With people laughing at investing in some sort of defense at its start to understanding the world is an unstable place later down the road.
They can't crew the ships they have, so no chance of new ships.
And again, any purchase of a new ship is 4-5 years away at current delivery and introduction, basing a decision on what the situation is now, for something that won't be around till the 2030's is insane.
In 4-5 years, most of the ships they currently have still won't have crews.
They spent/wasted about €100,000,000 in the last decade on three new ships and refubising two ships.
The OPW and NCH haven't a patch on the Naval Service when it comes to blowing money.
By 2030 at best, they might have crews for four ships.
They are already on or about 4 ships operational now, with the hope of another 60 class coming back online during the Spring period, and each of the ships were replaced as their predecessors aged out, not the NS fault at all that DPER, DOD and Finance combined with political indifference allowed the Retention/Recruitment Crisis to escalate so far, (nor are we alone in that issue, just by far the worst), but nobody else is cutting future procurement to deal with current issues.
As for the costs, we paid for as cheap a hull possible that can do patrols, would have preferred more capable OPV's be purchased at 3 times the unit price, as it would have been better long term, but that was decided back 20+ years ago.
Honestly, I'd write off the 50's at this stage, since it finally seems to be breaking through that FP isn't the main issue of the NS and plan for actual warships to replace them in the 2030's whether that's some version of the EPC, or something else.
Only two ships have crews, with only one at sea at a time. One in one out.
The crew of the P60s rotate between ships to even out the miles, but only one has a crew at any one time.
Around €30,000,000 has been spent/wasted on the P50s, refurbishing ships that haven't had a crew in six years. In any other country, the naval chief would be jailed.
funny how a month or two ago one of the 70s was in Dublin and two of the 60s were operational, one in Liverpool and one in the Irish Sea, and one 70 and one 60 were operational for the State visit. Maybe they are running on AI?
And no, not even close to an issue for the 50s, just look at what the RN/RFA have been up to, or the USN, or the RNZN, or RAN. Again we are far from unique with Retention/Recruitment, or issues with refitting hulls and their usage. €30 million is feck all money for a defence investment either way.
Nice to see its French as well too so we are keeping the spending within Europe. Hopefully we see more and more of this in military spending rather then buying American given they are no longer a country we can trust.
I see this very much the same way, even though the US seems to sill be a very strong investor in Ireland. However if it's about "America first", Ireland and the EU can easily do a "EU first". Loads of European defence businesses around as well, and France being one of them.
Trump will go, and who knows who's coming next. Not everything needs to be negative, it could also turn to the positive as well. But I do see your point.
Item in the IT today about the navy deploying air dropped tracking devices in the sea to monitor hostile activity. All very well monitoring....but how about deterrance and retribution?
At least it's a step into the right direction. Otherwise I'd agree, the Irish navy would need surface to air capabilities at some point.
Are those tracking devices dropped into the sea chained somehow to the bottom of the sea? Or how exactly does it work?
In my opinion the Navy need about 3 heavily armed corvettes and a couple of littoral submarines as well as a credible Air Force.
Sonobouys float and then sink after their battery goes.
I think the current Irish defence strategy is investing in the latest detection technology, radar for air and various submerged devices for the sea and if they spot and pick up anything they call in the "much hated" Brits to take care of it, be it the RAF or the Royal Navy.
Better than nothing, but a credible Irish Air Force with fighter jets is more than overdue.
I think it's possibly more start detecting, then justify getting other capabilities off the back of what we can now see. Its the old run a pilot program and then roll it out in another form.
Ireland should allow some EU countries station some fighterjets and staff here until we get our own jets.
We could build the infrastructure around these jets so its available when we buy our own jets.
May also help with training the future Irish Airforce pilots and staff.
As pointed out by McDowell when the suggestion of a French Frigate being deployed to cover our arses for the Presidency, stationing foreign troops on an active deployment in the Republic is unconstitutional. There's also the not minor fact that pretty much every European military is stretched as is and only likely to get more stretched, covering the arse of a Freeloader to allow them to continue to Freeload is unlikely to be high on anyones agenda.
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/12/16/ireland-to-buy-500m-military-radar-system-from-france/
The decision on the military radar system seems to have been taken by now. Or is there any other reason for this not to happen?
As I said above good to see we are making the purchase from a fellow EU member and keeping the money in Europe. We need more of this IMHO so we can at least begin the process of disentangling ourselves from the US.
I know it would cause the tankies to have a fii (but probably worth it for that alone) but why not effectively wet lease four typhoons from the RAF and use it to train Irish pilots and engineers.
I agree with you. I think in light of Trump the EU countries should buy from EU military companies first. It would be the better choice by far. There are more than enough defence companies in the EU.
Trump's US is no longer a reliable partner. Continued threats, tariffs, interest in taking over other countries like Greenland isn't acceptable anymore.
I could not agree more. Obviously it will take us a long time to disentangle ourselves from the US particularly militarily but we need to be doing that and doing that now. The US clearly cannot be trusted and relied on at this point and that maybe me putting it mildly.
I'd be considering something European, like Typhoons or Saab as minimum. 15 or 20 jets sound about right.
I wouldn't trust the US either anymore. They are on a clear path to a failed state under Trump.
I'd rather trust the Brits than the US. At least the Brits keep their agreements, the US clearly doesn't and has shown that specifically under Trump.
First because the RAF don't have any airframes to spare, hell they are actually understrength for their own taskings as is. Second beacuse we currently have no capacity for any support for such a purchase/lease.
It is wild when as an Irish person you say I would trust the Brits over the Americans but thats the reality of where we are at as wild and crazy as it is. Some Swedish Saab jets would be a good direction I think for the air corp as another step in the right direction for us defense wise and buying European.
Rest assured, nobody in Westminster would ever have a historic interest to rule over what is now the Republic of Ireland. That's long past and the UK has got a lot of domestic matters to deal with first.
But to the subject itself, remember that currently as it is the RAF from a base in Scotland is responding to threats of the Irish air space. A lot of Irish don't know that, or probably even if, don't want to know that and tell themselves "we're so neutral" and "who would ever attack us". However Brits or not, at least the Republic can and could rely on that agreement with the RAF, - a written agreement must exist as well, otherwise the Brits couldn't enter Irish airspace without raising a diplomatic incident.
So what does that tell us? At least the Brits keep honor what's in the contract, with the US Americans under Trump nobody can be sure anymore, neither economically, nor within NATO militarily.
Suppose Dublin and the Irish government decides and votes on something Trump doesn't like, the answer will be another tarif.
Fact is, I wouldn't rely on the US under Trump anymore. Anything in agreement today anything written and signed today, doesn't mean anything tomorrow.
