The Defence Forces has taken possession of a new “strategic reach” aircraft which will be capable of flying to the west coast of the United States without refuelling.
The French-made Dassault Falcon 6X, which was purchased for €53 million plus VAT, replaces the Air Corps’s 21-year-old Learjet 45, commonly known as the Government Jet.
The new aircraft will provide airlift and medical evacuation capabilities as well as serve as transport for Government Ministers.
Other roles will include evacuation of Irish citizens from emergency situations, repatriation of Defence Forces personnel and the transport of supplies to overseas military missions.
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It can carry 17 people and has a range of 10,186km.
Delivery of the aircraft is a “big step forward” for the Air Corps and an important moment in the process of transforming the service into a full “air force”, Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Rossa Mulcahy said.
“It reflects not only an investment in modern equipment, but in the future role, ambition, and operational reach of Ireland’s air capability.”
It will complement the Airbus C295 Aircraft that was acquired earlier this year to serve as a military transport.
Minister for Defence Helen McEntee said the new aircraft “is further evidence of the Government’s ongoing commitment to enhance the capabilities of our Defence Forces”.
Last weekend, another new aircraft, a Canadian-made Viking 400, also arrived at the Air Corps headquarters in Baldonnell, west Dublin. It will serve as a Garda surveillance aircraft but will be operated by Air Corps pilots.
