Irish Air Corps
Air Corps | |
---|---|
An tAerchór | |
Founded | 1924 |
Country | Ireland |
Allegiance | Ireland |
Type | Air force |
Role | Aerial warfare |
Size | 711 active personnel (Establishment: 866) (April 2023)[1]
23 aircraft (+ 3 aircraft in support of the EC 135P2[7] |
The Air Corps (Irish: An tAerchór) is the air force of Ireland. Organisationally a military branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland, the Air Corps utilises a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft to carry out a variety of duties in conjunction with the Irish Army, Irish Naval Service and Garda Síochána. The headquarters of the Air Corps is located at the Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Dublin. The Air Corps has an active establishment of 886 personnel. Like other components of the Defence Forces, it has struggled to maintain strength and as of April 2023 has only 711 active personnel.[1] Unlike the Army or the Naval Service, the Air Corps does not maintain a reserve component.[a]
History
National Army Air Service
The
The Air Corps
Early years
With the establishment of the Defence Forces in 1924, the Air Service became the new Army's Air Corps and remained part of the Army until the 1990s.
In 1938 four
World War II (The Emergency)
During World War II (or The Emergency) there are no records of Air Corps planes engaging any belligerent aircraft, although dozens of escaped barrage balloons were shot down. Requests for more aircraft from Britain resulted in 13 obsolete Hawker Hector biplane light bombers being supplied during 1941. Twelve Hawker Hurricane Mk. Is were initially ordered for the Irish Army Air Corps in 1940 but were not delivered due to a wartime embargo imposed by the British government. Eleven Hurricane Mk. Is were eventually delivered to the Air Corps, from surplus RAF stocks, between July 1943 and March 1944, and the Hurricane Mk. I (no.93), that crash-landed in County Wexford in 1940, was the twelfth aircraft. These were supplemented by 6 Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIcs that were delivered to the Irish Army Air Corps in March 1945, to eventually replace the Hurricane Mk. Is of No. 1 Fighter Squadron. Supplied from surplus RAF stocks, the Hurricane Mk. IIcs were the last batch of aircraft to be delivered to the Air Corps before the end of World War II. The Hurricanes were the first monoplane fighter aircraft to enter service with the Air Corps and were also the first aircraft capable of reaching 300 m.p.h. in level flight. The Hurricane gave the Air Corps a proven modern fighter, and – at peak – 20 flew in Irish colours.[8] 163 belligerent aircraft force-landed in Ireland during the war, and in this way, the Air Corps acquired a Lockheed Hudson, a Fairey Battle, and three Hawker Hurricanes.
Post-war
After the war, the Hurricanes were replaced by Supermarine Seafires and a few two-seat Spitfire trainers. Avro Anson light transports were operated as communications aircraft between 1946 and retirement in 1962. The Percival Provost was introduced in the mid-1950s as the Air Corps initial training aircraft.
The de Havilland Dove became the Corps' transport aircraft. The jet age arrived on 30 June 1956 when the Corps took delivery of de Havilland Vampire T.55 trainers.[11] In November 1963 the Air Corps took delivery of its first helicopters, SA.316B Alouette IIIs, of which seven remained in service until 2007. During their operational lifetime, 3,300 people were assisted by the Alouette helicopters in their Search and Rescue and air ambulance roles.[citation needed]
During the mid-sixties and early seventies, the Corps played a part in expanding Ireland's film industry. Pilots and engineering staff participated in a 1965 box office success,
Expansion
In the mid-1970s the expansion of the "Ministerial Air Transport Service" (MATS) following Ireland's accession to the
In 1975, six
In 1977, ten
As part of Ireland's obligations to the European Union, the Irish Air Corps patrols 132,000 square miles (342,000 km2) of the sea. The Air Corps previously employed two of its three Beechcraft 200 Super King Airs for this duty. However, the Super King Airs used for Maritime patrol were disposed of in the 1990s, and the third was allocated to transport duties. 102 Squadron operated one Beech King Air (#BB-672 with tail-number 240), but (as of 2010) it is out of service and hangared. Two previously operated aircraft (#BB-376 and #BB-208, with tail-numbers 232 and 234) were sold in 1991 and 1992 respectively.
In its MATS role, following Ireland's assumption of the
In 2004 eight
Two
On 12 October 2009 an Air Corps instructor, Captain Derek Furniss, and Cadet David Jevens were killed when their Pilatus PC-9 crashed during a training exercise in Connemara, County Galway.[17]
During the
2022 Commission on the Defence Forces
In February 2022, the Commission on the Defence Forces published a report. For the Air Corps, the report recommended that the service be renamed to the Irish Air Force and advocated for the establishment of a Chief of the Air Force. The report also recommended three levels of ambition (LOAs) with each level having different recommendations. LOA 1 proposes to maintain the current size of the Air Corps, while bringing active personnel numbers back up to the current establishment.[21]
LOA 2 recommends the development of additional capabilities, including:
- 2 additional medium helicopters - 8 Medium Helicopters to eventually be replaced with 8 super-medium helicopters
- Primary radar - establish a Recognised Air Picture (RAP)
- Strategic reach aircraft - transport and airlift for overseas deployments
- Counter UAV - Anti-drone/UAV capability
- Air Corps Reserve - recruitment of specialist roles (technicians, trained pilots, air traffic controllers)
LOA 3 recommends a further development of Air Corps combat capabilities, including:
- Jet combat aircraft - Air combat/intercept capability
- Troop carrier aircraft - Overseas deployment of personnel
- Armed CSAR helicopters - Organic intra-theatre deployments
Under LOA 3, the new Air Force would also be capable of deploying combat pilots, aircraft and support personnel overseas. LOA 2 recommends a budget of €1.5 billion with LOA 3 recommending a budget of €3 billion. The commission compared Ireland to other nations of similar GDP and population size, and determined these budgetary increases would be commensurate with those nations.[22]
Organisation
The Irish Air Corps is the air branch of the Irish Defence Forces. Headed up by Brigadier General Rory O'Connor, General Officer Commanding,[2] Air Corps (GOCAC), the Air Corps comprises a staff headquarters, two air wings, two ground support wings, one independent squadron and the Air Corps College. The Air Corps' principal base of operations is out of Casement Aerodrome in Dublin.
Air Corps Headquarters
- Office of General Officer Commanding
- Operations Section
- Support Section
- Military Airworthiness Authority
- Flight Safety Section
- Military Police Section
No 1 Operations Wing
1 Operations Wing is the main formation responsible for operational fixed-wing flying.[23] This is sub-divided into four individual flying squadrons and two non-flying squadrons, each of which has a dedicated role:
- 101 Squadron – Maritime Surveillance and Airlift
- 102 Squadron – Ministerial Transport
- 103 Squadron – Engineering
- 104 Squadron – Army Co-op
- 105 Squadron – Defence Forces Photographic Section
No 3 Operations Wing
3 Operations Wing is the formation responsible for operational rotary wing flying,
- 301 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
- 302 Training and Surveillance Squadron
- 303 Maintenance and Deployment Squadron
- 304 Garda Air Support Squadron
No 4 Support Wing
4 Support Wing is primarily concerned with second-line aircraft maintenance (front line maintenance is done by the engineering squadrons in each operational wing).[25] This formation has two squadrons.
- 401 Squadron – Mechanical support
- 402 Squadron – Avionics support
No 5 Support Wing
5 Support Wing is responsible for logistic support for the Air Corps.[26]
- 502 Squadron – Logistic support
- 503 Squadron – Transport
- 504 Squadron – Medical services
- 505 Squadron – Air Traffic Control
- 506 Squadron – Fire Fighting
Communication & Information Services Squadron
Communication & Information Services Squadron (CIS) is responsible for the supply and maintenance of ground-based communications, navigation, radar and IT systems for the Air Corps. The CIS Squadron comprises a headquarters and four flights.[27]
- Squadron HQ
- Airfield Services Flight
- Communications Flight
- Technical Services Flight
- Information Technology Flight
Air Corps College
The Air Corps College is the principal training unit of the Irish Air Corps, where all entrants into the service undertake their training. The college is divided into three distinct schools:[28]
- Flying Training School (FTS) – The FTS has primary responsibility both for flying training, for which it is equipped with a squadron of Pilatus PC-9 fixed-wing aircraft, as well as officer training.
- Technical Training School (TTS) – The TTS undertakes technical training for those who will become aircraft technicians.
- Military Training and Survival School (MTSS) – The MTSS is responsible for the basic military training of all new recruits, as well as career progression training.
Aircraft
Current inventory
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Light Attack
| |||||
Pilatus PC-9 | Switzerland | Trainer / CAS | PC-9M | 8[29] | Can be armed with machine guns or rocket pods.[29] |
Transport | |||||
Learjet 45 | United States | VIP / Air ambulance | 1[30] | ||
Maritime patrol | |||||
CASA CN-235 | Spain | Maritime Patrol | MPA 100 | 2[31] | To be replaced by two CN-295 MPA in 2023[32] |
CASA C-295 | Spain | Maritime Patrol | MPA | 2[33][34] | |
Surveillance | |||||
Pilatus PC-12 | Switzerland | ISTAR / Utility | PC-12NG | 4[35] | |
Britten-Norman Defender | United Kingdom | Police Air Support | 4000 | 1[36] | Flown for the Garda Air Support Unit (GASU)[36] |
Helicopters
| |||||
Eurocopter EC135 | France | Utility / Training | P2+/T2 | 2[37] / 2[38] | Of which the T2s are flown for the GASU[39] |
AgustaWestland AW139 | Italy | Utility | 6[40] |
Aircraft retirements
Replaced by the PC-9Ms, several
The Sikorsky S-61N operated by the Air Corps for Search and Rescue operations was returned to CHC Helicopter. As part of this consolidation to a number of supported types, and following the exercise of two further options on AW139 Utility Helicopters, the previous army support and SAR Alouette fleet, the Alouette IIIs, were "stood down" at a ceremony at Casement aerodrome on 21 September 2007. This aircraft and unit provided the first SAR helicopter service in Ireland and one of the first dedicated national air ambulance services in the world when founded in 1964.
The
A Gulfstream IV operated by the Irish Air Corps on behalf of the Irish Ministerial Air Transport Service was removed from service after corrosion was detected in the undercarriage in July 2014. The government sold the jet in December 2014 for $500,000, and (as of March 2015) the government were considering whether to acquire a replacement.[41][42][43][44] The 2022 Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces suggested that a replacement aircraft for the Gulfstream IV would be essential if LOA 2 or 3 were to be met.[22]
On 4 October 2019, after 47 years of service to the state, the 5 remaining (of 9 total) Reims Rocket FR172H (Cessna) aircraft were stood down from service after amassing 63,578 flight hours total.[45] The Cessnas were replaced with several Pilatus PC-12 NG utility aircraft during 2020.[46][47] The first of four Pilatus PC-12 aircraft was delivered in April 2020,[48] with three further aircraft delivered in September 2020.[49][50]
Weapons
Name | Origin | Type | Variant | Image | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Small arms
| ||||||
Heckler & Koch USP | Germany | Semi-automatic pistol | Standard service pistol[51] | |||
Steyr AUG | Austria | Assault rifle | Standard service rifle since 1989[52] | |||
Rockets
| ||||||
FN MAG | Belgium | General-purpose machine gun | FN MAG 58M | Can be mounted on the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter | ||
M2 Browning | United States | Heavy machine gun | M3P | Can be mounted in a wing pod on a Pilatus PC-9M for Close Air Support role | ||
Rocket Pods | Belgium | Unguided rockets | LAU 7 | Can be mounted under the wing of a Pilatus PC-9M for Close Air Support role |
Capabilities
The Air Corps military roles and the functions it carries out are those of an army air corps rather than that of a conventional military air force. The Air Corps air space control and ground attack capacity is limited to low-level and limited weather. Helicopter tactical troop transport is available on a 24-hour basis through the introduction of Night Vision Goggles. The Air Corps non-military capabilities in aid to the civil power and other Government departments include ministerial transport, fishery protection, 24-hour maritime patrolling, Garda air support, search and rescue over both land and sea, an air ambulance service, aerial firefighting, drugs surveillance and non-combatant evacuation. The Air Corps provides the State with the capacity to meet security and contingent roles but only receives 12% of Defence Forces funding (see Dáil Defence Vote 2014).
Future
In July 2015, the Irish government revealed plans to purchase a ground-based long-range air surveillance radar system for the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and Defence Forces to keep track of covert aircraft flying in Irish-controlled airspace, including military aircraft that do not file a flight plan and have their transponders switched off. Minister for Defence Simon Coveney said the increased capability would give better coverage of the Atlantic airspace over which the IAA has responsibility. The long-range surveillance radar is reported to cost well over €100 million[53] and was seen as a priority purchase to provide the civilian and military authorities with an improved competency in monitoring aerial incursions.[54] As Ireland is not a member of NATO, it does not have access to integrated European military radar systems or NATO equipment. The Irish Air Corps also lacks a dedicated air intercept capability, and previous air incursions have seen the Royal Air Force respond to incursions into Irish airspace.[55]
The Pilatus PC9s are planned for replacement by 2025.
In June 2020, the
In February 2022, the Commission on the Defence Forces report was published. It recommended that the Air Corps be renamed to the Air Force and made further recommendations under two Levels of Ambition (LOAs). Under LOA 2, the proposed new Air Force would establish a
In January 2023, Minister for Justice Simon Harris announced a capital allocation of €21.5 million for a replacement helicopter and fixed wing plane for the Garda Air Support Unit (GASU)[63] According to a press release, funding is due to be provided during 2023 to procure a longer range and higher capacity utility helicopter. The announcement also included budget for the replacement of the Britten-Norman Defender 4000 that has been in service since GASU was established in 1997.[64]
In February 2023, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that an agreement had been reached to replace the Learjet 45, which has been in service since 2004. He indicated that a new jet aircraft could be used to assist in overseas evacuation of Irish citizens, medical transport and ministerial obligations.[65] The procurement process for the proposed replacement commenced in February 2023 and, at that time, was expected to take two to three years.[66]
In March 2023, it was reported that a contract to purchase an Airbus C295 Military Transport Aircraft had been signed,[67] with the aircraft to be potentially used for transport for overseas operations, special operations forces support and medical evacuations. This planned purchase aligns with a recommendation for fixed wing strategic-reach capability as indicated under LOA 2 of the Commission on the Defence Forces report.[68] As of March 2023, it was expected to be delivered in 2025.[69]
Roles
Air Ambulance
The Air Corps provides an
An Air Corps AW139 also provides an
Maritime Patrol
The Air Corps operates two CASA CN235
Ministerial Air Transport Service
The Air Corps provide a Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) to assist
Garda Air Support
The Garda Air Support Unit is a unit of the Garda Síochána that provides specialist air support for Ireland's national police force. The Air Corps, in conjunction with the Department of Justice and Equality, operates three aircraft for the Garda Air Support role: two Eurocopter EC135 T2 helicopters and a Britten-Norman Defender aircraft.
Operational control of the aircraft remains with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, whereas the Air Corps provide pilots and aircraft technicians to the Garda Air Support Unit that fly and maintain the aircraft.[73]
Ranks
The Air Corps' ranks are similar to those of the Irish Army. As of April 2023, the strength was 711 all ranks.[1]
Officer insignia
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Irish Air Corps[74] |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lieutenant-general
|
Major-general
|
Brigadier-general
|
Colonel | Lieutenant-colonel
|
Commandant | Captain | Lieutenant | Second-lieutenant
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lefteanant-ghinearál | Maor-ghinearál | Briogáidire-ghinearál | Cornal | Lefteanant-chornal | Ceannfort | Captaen | Lefteanant | Dara-lefteanant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abbreviation | Lt Gen | Maj Gen | Brig Gen | Col | Lt Col | Comdt | Capt | Lt | 2nd Lt | O-Cdt |
Other rank insignia
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Irish Air Corps[74] |
No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regimental sergeant major Maor-sáirsint reisiminte |
Regimental quartermaster sergeant Ceathrúsháirsint reisiminte |
Flight sergeant Sáirsint eitleoige |
Flight quartermaster sergeant Ceathrúsháirsint eitleoige |
Sergeant Sáirsint |
Corporal Ceannaire |
Airman 3 star Eitleoir, 3 réalta |
Airman 2 Star Eitleoir, 2 réalta |
Apprentice Printíseach |
Recruit Earcach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abbreviation | RSM | RQMS | FS | FQMS | Sgt | Cpl | Amn 3* | Amn 2* | App | Rec/G1 |
See also
- Colonel James Fitzmaurice
- Defence Forces (Ireland)
- History of Ireland
- Irish State Aircraft
- List of aircraft of the Irish Air Corps
- Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association
- Politics of the Republic of Ireland
- Representative Association of Commissioned Officers
- Reserve Defence Forces Representative Association
Notes
- ^ The Defence Forces consists of two components: a regular force, the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) and a reserve force, the Reserve Defence Forces (RDF); the Air Corps forms part of the PDF.
References
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