Interesting articles

Thats the point about July how many decades have we had to sort out our defence.

I mean lets be honest, the DOD and Co were planning on "same as always" and let everyone else handle our security for the Presidency as we effectively have done since day 1, and somehow missed a) the fact that our partners are stretched thin and getting well pissed off at us for not doing basic shite and b) due to global affairs for the first time since WW2 if not 1922 defence and security has actually become something of note in Irish politics.

Meaning their "plan" has now been shown to be utter horsesh!t and they are scrambling.

Yes, thats the ship.

It was the lead ship of her class and arrived with a 1.3⁰ list because of being overweight for her hull, and it was rejected by the German Navy until all matter were addressed, which they were and she was commissioned two years late.

But her class of 4 are all in service and operational, though they are the heaviest fleet frigate of any in the World.

Which is in itself a great lesson for surface fleet design, that a Jack Of All Trades tends to be master of none.

I agree. There is 1.1 bn in funding allowed for new equipment to 2030 - think radar, helis,

I agree, only 1.1 bn in new Equipment acquisition to end 2023. Out of that there are new helis, primary radar, infantry equipment P60 refits … .maybe the radar and new armour gets you to 1billion on French purchases

Half a dozen, would be a single battery with no spares rotation.
I honestly think that CAESER is a great platform and it offers a degree of capability far in excess of anything we operate along with a high of inter operability with European allies.

I have a growing degree of cautious optimism regarding what we will order.
But?
Like all Irish procurement, I expect my optimism to be given a good hiding before it's dragged out and shot.

I will reiterate though, that if we do align with France and go entirely on a G2G deal?
I believe we should expand it to include the Helicopters and primary radar too.
It is the best means we have of accessing economies of scale.

Then, for the next of Naval Service ships, go all in on a PESCO ASW spec.

Aye, but my thrust is that we amalgamate the entirety of the deal into a single G2G deal and use it to both leverage economies of scale and avoid delays.
The radio deal, the radar, the armour, the mistrals and the helos all via a deal that gets us as close to French domestic pricing and SLA as we can manage.

LOL…4 months out….

So the Department has officially confirmed what the French told us, nice of them, still no breakdown on numbers or price of course:

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-defence/press-releases/minister-mcentee-confirms-france-as-preferred-partner-for-armoured-fleet-programme/

The IT article is saying 200-300 vehicles including the MERPAC variants of the Griffon along with the other mentioned vehicles.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/02/24/ireland-to-buy-hundreds-of-french-armoured-vehicles-under-military-modernisation-plan/?

Given the difference in the reported French price and the Departments one, are they including or excluding costs like the build up of munitions for the new systems? Not too mention in terms of the funding, the infrastructure ulgrdes that number of new vehicles are going to need.

With the rearmanment process going on across Europe it seems a stretch that anything Ireland procures will be delivered on time. Before 2030 seems unlikely.

The army is our third place weakness anyway. It's not really relevant to the most immediate threats. Most of the focus should be on equipping the navy and air corps.

Where did you get that from?

The Griffon is longer, larger, more heavily armoured, more powerful, more flexible and takes 2 more mounted troopers than any of the Mowag range do, and it does so on a 6x6 platform.

There will be no future replacement 8x8 APC.

I took it as read that the 8x8 referred to the gun carriage for the Caesar 155mm howitzers.

What possible reason could the DF have for operating two unalike 6x6 and 8x8 APCs at the same time, that do the same job?

it’s no different than where we are with the radar project, however there’s no suggestion that we are going to back out of that. I mean clearly this has been going on for years at this point, so the order is going to them.

I'll take it as read we're going with the French. Actual numbers or pieces of kit to be sorted out as a work in progress.

A framework agreement in effect