Originally Posted by
Pontius Navigator
Declan, exactly. The only issue I have with what you say is based on my ignorance of the facts. You mention a non-squawking aircraft. That predicates a primary radar system. Does Ireland possess such a system?
Declan275, re your Post #109, do you mean that, effectively, Ireland has no "Boulmer" organisation rather than no Primary Radars? I'z confused (again)!!!!!! I'm not including the aviating part of AD/AP, rather my ???? relates just to the Radar side.
According to the IAA, they do have Primary Radar
https://www.iaa.ie/air-traffic-manag...eillance-radar which, presumably, also feeds into Defence somehow - even just by phone from the IAA would count. Of course, what they don't say is the range of Primary cover but, by implication, it provides good cover out to "x" km. The UK suffers the same lack of Primary reach, hence Saxa Vord being reopened as a RRH in 2018 to provide additional cover up North.
There was also a report back in 2015 (OK, a newspaper article behind a paywall and I've not seen the actual white paper) which talks about the procurement of new Radars for Irish AD specifically.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e...st-xfbvzt7bv0b which notes they will be used "to keep track of covert aircraft such as the two Russian TU-95s which flew across Irish-controlled international airspace in January [2015]"
Not sure if the radars mentioned by the IAA are the same as these or if, indeed, the white paper ever gained traction. Maybe it refers to additional cover over and above that mentioned in the IAA link ....... maybe even an OTHR to cover out to 30W?
Some NATS trials were conducted years ago from Blakehill Farm in the UK looking at the potential for OTHR coverage out over Ireland into the deep Atlantic so the concept's not new.
Anyway, just from my understanding - so I may need to be corrected!!!
H 'n' H