This list identifies the military aircraft which are currently being operated or have formerly been operated by the Irish Air Corps.
Active Irish military aircraft[edit]
Military aircraft currently in active service with the Irish Air Corps are as follows:
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trainer / Light Attack | |||||
| Pilatus PC-9 | Switzerland | Trainer / CAS | PC-9M | 8[1] | Can be armed with machine guns or rocket pods.[1] |
| Transport | |||||
| Learjet 45 | United States | VIP / Air ambulance | 1[2] | ||
| Maritime patrol | |||||
| CASA CN-235 | Spain | Maritime Patrol | MPA 100 | 2[3] | To be replaced by two CN-295 MPA in 2023[4] |
| CASA C-295 | Spain | Maritime Patrol | MPA | 2[5][6] | |
| Surveillance | |||||
| Pilatus PC-12 | Switzerland | ISTAR / Utility | PC-12NG | 4[7] | |
| Britten-Norman Defender | United Kingdom | Police Air Support | 4000 | 1[8] | Flown for the Garda Air Support Unit (GASU)[8] |
| Helicopters | |||||
| Eurocopter EC135 | France | Utility / Training | P2+/T2 | 2[9] / 2[10] | Of which the T2s are flown for the GASU[11] |
| AgustaWestland AW139 | Italy | Utility | 6[12] | ||
Retired Irish military aircraft[edit]
A few examples of former Air Corps aircraft are retained in the Air Corps Museum in Baldonnel. These include an Avro Anson, An Alouette III and a Fouga Magister. A De Havilland Vampire and a Miles Magister are on display in the National Museum in Collins Barracks (Dublin).[13]
Military aircraft which have been withdrawn from service with the Irish Air Corps include the following:
Fighter and attack aircraft[edit]
- Bristol F.2B Fighter – 8× 1922–1935[14][15][16]
- Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard – 4× 1922–1929[17]
- RAE S.E.5a – 1× 1922 (destroyed by the IRA during Civil War)
- Bristol F.2B Fighter Mk II – 8× 1925–1935[16]
- Gloster Gladiator I – 4× 1938–1944 (1× crashed 1938, 1× crashed 1944, 2× retired 1943, 12 more ordered but not delivered during The Emergency)[16][18]
- Hawker Hurricane I – 12× 1940–1946 (1× RAF crash-landed in Ireland 1940 and repaired by Air Corps, 11× delivered 1943)[16]
- Hawker Hurricane IIa – 1× 1941–1943 (RAF force-landed in Ireland)
- Hawker Hurricane IIb – 1× 1941–1943 (RAF crash-landed in Ireland)
- Hawker Hurricane IIc – 6× 1945–1947[16]
- Supermarine V.S. 506 Seafire LF.III – 12× 1947–1955[19]
Bombers[edit]
- De Havilland DH.9 – 6× [17]
- Fairey Battle TT.I – 1x Irish Air Corps interned 1 ex-RAF target tug in 1942. It was in use as a target tug from 1944 to 1946.[16]
- Hawker Hind and Hind Trainer[16]
- Lockheed Hudson I (also used for maritime patrol duties)[20]
Reconnaissance and patrol aircraft[edit]
- CASA CN-235M-100
- Cessna FR172H – 8× FR172H, 1× FR172K. Five FR172H remained in service until 2019.
- Fairey IIIF Mk II
- Supermarine V.S. 236 Walrus I – 3× from 1939[21][16]
Transport and liaison aircraft[edit]
- Avro 652A Anson I and C19[16]
- Avro 626 Prefect (also served as a navigation trainer)
- Hawker Siddeley HS.125-600B and -700B
- Beechcraft Super King Air 200T[22]
- De Havilland DH.84 Dragon 2
- De Havilland DH.104 Dove Mk 4, Mk 5, Mk 7, and Mk 8A[22]
- Grumman G1159A Gulfstream III (leased)
- Gulfstream IV[23]
- Hawker Hector
- Martinsyde Type A Mk II
- Vickers Type 193 Vespa IV and Type 208 Vespa V
- Westland Lysander II – x6 [16][24]
Trainer aircraft[edit]
- Avro 504K – 6× 1922–1932[25]
- Avro 621 Tutor[26]
- Avro 631 Cadet (also used for coastal patrol duties)
- Avro 636
- De Havilland DH.60 Cirrus I Moth
- De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.20 and T.22A[22]
- De Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.55[22] – 6× 1956–1976
- Fouga CM-170-2 Super Magister – 6× 1975–1999[22]
- Hunting Percival Provost T.51 and T.53
- Miles M.14A Magister[16]
- Miles M.25 Martinet TT.I
- Miles M.9A Master I and M.19 Master II[16]
- SIAI-Marchetti SF-260D and SF-260WE Warrior
- Supermarine V.S. 509 Spitfire T.9 – 6× 1951–1961
Helicopters[edit]
- Aérospatiale Alouette III – replaced by AW139s and retired in September 2007[27][28]
- Aérospatiale SA330J Puma – leased from Aérospatiale for 2 years during the early 1980s[29][30]
- Aérospatiale SA342L Gazelle – retired December 2005.[31] Later sold
- Aérospatiale SA365Fi Dauphin II – retired and sold
- Sikorsky S-61N – Previously leased and operated by IAC for Search & Rescue/Coast Guard.[32] Subsequently, returned to CHC Ireland who operated it in a similar capacity for the IRCG.
- Eurocopter Twin Squirrel AS355N – Operated by IAC for Garda Air Support Unit until replaced by second EC135T in January 2008.[33]
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b "Pilatus PC-9M". military.ie. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ "Learjet 45". military.ie. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ "CASA CN-235". military.ie. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ^ "Minister Kehoe Awards Contract for two New Maritime Patrol Aircraft for the Air Corps". Department of Defence. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Minister for Defence welcomes the arrival of the first of two Airbus C295 Maritime Patrol Aircraft". www.gov.ie. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Department of Defence (Ireland) [@IRLDeptDefence] (October 17, 2023). "Monday saw the arrival at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel of the 2nd of two Airbus C295 Maritime Patrol Aircrafts [sic]" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Pilatus PC-12". military.ie. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ a b "PBN Defender". military.ie. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ^ "EC135 P2". military.ie. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ "EC135 T2". military.ie. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ "The Garda Air Support Unit". garda.ie. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "AW 139". military.ie. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ^ Tony Canavan (January 2007). "Museum Eye – Soldiers and chiefs, the Irish at war – National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks, Dublin". Reviews. 15 (1). History Ireland.
- ^ Byrne 1980, p. 52.
- ^ O'Malley 2010, p. 57.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l MacCarron 2012, p. 20.
- ^ a b MacCarron 2012, p. 18.
- ^ "Irish Army Air Corps use of the Gloster Gladiator during the Second World War". Håkan Gustavsson. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ Byrne 1980, p. 62.
- ^ McIvor 1994, p. 83.
- ^ O'Malley 2010, p. 148.
- ^ a b c d e "Air Corps Museum Collection (1918-2004)". Irish Military Archives. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "Government jet sold to US company". RTE. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ O'Malley 2010, p. 205.
- ^ McIvor 1994, p. 42.
- ^ "Military Archives – Image Database – IE/MA/ACPS/GPN/001 – Glass plate negatives of a ground image of an Avro 621". MilitaryArchives.ie. Defence Forces. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Alouettes set for final missions". Irish Times. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "New Wings for the Irish Air Corps". Air-Scene UK. May 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "Up, up and away . . . why our Air Corps are getting plenty of lift". Independent News & Media. 4 July 2000. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "N86-1981- Air Corp Helicopters - Air Corps Takes Delivery Of Puma Helicoptor - July 1981". Irish Photo Archive. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Gazelle Retired" (PDF). An Cosantóir – Defence Forces Magazine. Irish Defence Forces. March 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
On December 31st 2005 the last flight of Air Corps Gazelle 241 over Casement Aerodrome marked the end of 25 years of service
- ^ "Air Corps withdrawn from rescue work". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 11 October 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
[T]he Government is formally withdrawing the Air Corps from all helicopter search-and-rescue today [..] and will be relieved by the contract company CHC Helicopters in a week's time [..] The Sikorsky S-61 helicopter leased for the Air Corps in Sligo was returned several weeks ago
- ^ "Second Garda helicopter takes to air". Irish Times. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
Sources[edit]
- Byrne, Liam (1980). History of Aviation in Ireland. Blackwater Press. ISBN 9780905471105.
- Morgan, Eric B. & Burnet, Charles (December 1981 – March 1982). "Walrus... Amphibious Angel of Mercy". Air Enthusiast (17): 13–25. ISSN 0143-5450.
- O'Malley, Michael C (2010). Military Aviation in Ireland, 1921-45. University College Dublin Press. ISBN 9781906359485.
- MacCarron, Donal (2012). The Irish Defence Forces since 1922. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781780963914.
- McIvor, Aidan (1994). A History of the Irish Naval Service. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 9780716525233.
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