List of aircraft of the Irish Air Corps

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

Military aircraft currently in active service with the Irish Air Corps are as follows:

Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Trainer/Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance
Pilatus PC-9 Switzerland Training/Close air support PC-9M 8 Armament options are heavy machine gun and rocket pods.[1][2]
Transport
Learjet 45 United States VIP/Air ambulance 1[3]
Maritime patrol
CASA CN-235 Spain Maritime patrol MPA 100 2[4] Due to be replaced by two C295 aircraft in 2023.[5][6]
Surveillance
Pilatus Britten Norman Defender United Kingdom Surveillance 4000 1[4] Flown for the Garda Air Support Unit[7]
Pilatus PC-12 Switzerland ISTAR and utlity PC-12NG 4[8][9] One utility type, delivered April 2020.[10] Three 'SPECTRE' (ISTAR equipped) types, delivered September 2020.[9]
Helicopters
Eurocopter EC135 France Utility, training and surveillance P2+/T2 4[4] Two P2+s are flown for the Air Corps and two T2s for the GASU[11][12]
AgustaWestland AW139 Italy Utility 6[4]
Several Pilatus PC-9M aircraft at Baldonnel

Retired Irish military aircraft

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Military aircraft which have been withdrawn from service with the Irish Air Corps include the following: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

Air Corps Spitfire T.9 trainer wearing the early post war green colour scheme
Gloster Gladiator Mk I of the 1st Squadron of the Irish Air Corps

Bombers

Reconnaissance and patrol aircraft

Transport and liaison aircraft

An Avro 652A Anson which operated from 1946 to 1962

Trainer aircraft

Percival Provost Mk 51 in Air Corps colours

Helicopters

Air Corps Alouette III. Retired in 2007

References

Notes

  1. "Fleet - Pilatus PC-9M Statistics". Military.ie (Official Defence Forces website).
  2. IrishAirPics.com - Description of live fire training exercise
  3. "Learjet 45". military.ie. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  4. "World Air Forces 2020". Flightglobal Insight. 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  5. "Irish Department of Defence orders two Airbus C295 aircraft". navyrecognition.com. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. "Dublin, Prague bolster Airbus C295 backlog". flightglobal.com. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  7. "Pilatus Britten Norman Defender". military.ie. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  8. "Air Corps to Take Delivery of Pilatus PC-12 Today". flyinginireland.com. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. "Irish Air Corps New PC-12's Arrive in Baldonnel". flyinginireland.com. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  10. "Government spends €5.2m on new aircraft to help Covid-19 response". thejournal.ie. 9 May 2020.
  11. "EC135 T2". military.ie. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  12. "EC135 P2". military.ie. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  13. Tony Canavan (January 2007). "Museum Eye - Soldiers and chiefs, the Irish at war - National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks, Dublin". Reviews. History Ireland. 15 (1).
  14. Byrne 1980, p. 52.
  15. O'Malley 2010, p. 57.
  16. MacCarron 2012, p. 20.
  17. MacCarron 2012, p. 18.
  18. "Irish Army Air Corps use of the Gloster Gladiator during the Second World War". Håkan Gustavsson. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  19. Byrne 1980, p. 62.
  20. McIvor 1994, p. 83.
  21. O'Malley 2010, p. 148.
  22. "Air Corps Museum Collection (1918-2004)". Irish Military Archives. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  23. "Government jet sold to US company". RTE. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  24. O'Malley 2010, p. 205.
  25. McIvor 1994, p. 42.
  26. "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.
  27. "Alouettes set for final missions". Irish Times. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  28. "New Wings for the Irish Air Corps". Air-Scene UK. May 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  29. "Up, up and away . . . why our Air Corps are getting plenty of lift". Independent News & Media. 4 July 2000. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  30. "N86-1981- Air Corp Helicopters - Air Corps Takes Delivery Of Puma Helicoptor - July 1981". Irish Photo Archive. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  31. "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
  32. "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
  33. "Second Garda helicopter takes to air". Irish Times. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2017.

Sources

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