https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/12/16/ireland-to-buy-500m-military-radar-system-from-france/

Posted by Floodzie

28 Comments

  1. SectionPrestigious89 on

    That jet looks very slick. Nice purchase.

    Leading a jet for that length of time makes no sense as the gov would be required to sign up to the leasing company maintenance reserves agreements which the air corps can do in house.

    Plus, I don’t think any of the leasing companies here lease jets. It’s traditionally narrow/wide body aircraft.

  2. DontWakeTheInsomniac on

    “The military radar programme comprises three parts. There will be a long range, land-based radar, a ship-borne maritime radar and ground-based air defence systems, which will include counter-drone technology.”

    Good to hear. At least we didn’t buy from the US – i don’t want any ‘kill switches’ that Trump or another future lunatic President can disable.

  3. Fantastic to see we are purchasing from our EU partners. As fuck knows what kind of back door the orange fuck would insist on.

  4. Vegetable-Beach-7458 on

    Have they measured the size of the room they are planning to put it in. Be a shame to have the printer scenario again

  5. Now that we have gone and bought the fancy branded one from France what’s the bets that there will be a perfectly usable generic knockoff Specialbuy, in the center aisle of Aldi come Thursday, for a mere 150 million Euros. Always feckin happens.

  6. EducationChemical488 on

    Second hand radar for yee, hardly any miles on it, garunteed to detect any arial threats developed up to 1990…bargin

  7. cue much gnashing of teeth and absurd mumbling about acquiescing to the powerful military complex

  8. >The military radar programme comprises three parts. There will be a long range, land-based radar, a ship-borne maritime radar and ground-based air defence systems, which will include counter-drone technology.

    >These systems will combine to provide a “recognised air picture”, enabling the military to see all aircraft over the State, including those with their transponders switched off.

    This is 3 different systems, not just a single tower. This is a great, long overdue purchase. France is a great country to buy from too. Hopefully it leads to some improvements to our anti-drone and air policing capabilities in the future (ie actually being able to do those).

  9. I’m not complaining. I think it’s good we are playing our part in defence. To be honest I think we should join NATO. It would be good to know the broader strategy. An early warning system to let Europe know we are being invaded? What happens next? If we can’t join NATO I think we should have a large reserve soldiery just like the Swiss. Easy for me to say…I’m well past the age of getting conscripted but the 18 year old version of me would have enjoyed the challenge of training and firing guns and running around the forest for a year….then meeting your buddies again for yearly 3 week refresher courses which you do with the same lads you bonded with in the first year.

  10. Ah lads, think of the extra foot of track that’d buy on the train-airport line.
    Surely radar can’t be of much use when all the technicians are stuck in traffic on the m50 on the morning commute to the airport.

  11. IntentionFalse8822 on

    It’ll be fun to watch Russki Richard and Petrograd Paul throw a fit on the airwaves tomorrow at us pandering to the “military industrial complex”.

  12. At least it’s from France, I’m sick of the right-leaning conservative think tanks from the UK, using bullshit trying to get Ireland to spend more on defence.

    I’d even go far and say that the recent drones off the coast might be of British origin to try and scare, government/people into spending more and buying from them.

    A part of me is also wondering if the decrease/defunding in spending on infrastructure /railway was in some part due to this. This is only one area that was cut.

    [Anger after re-opening of Wexford-Waterford train line is omitted from government spending plan](https://www.thejournal.ie/rail-review-wexford-waterford-6904969-Dec2025/)