Irish Air Corps - what's going on here ?
 

The IAC's Learjet 45 has just celebrated its 20th birthday. It's a frequent sight over this side of the water, for obvious reasons, but it hasn't been seen much over the last 3 months or so.

This hissy-fit seems to arise from the Learjet being unavailable to take a minister from Dublin to Brussels. Anyone else flying that route (those without private aircraft) have to endure airport hassle and then the delights of Aer Lingus or even Ryanair. Perhaps the minister should try that experience?

Spending money on Aer Corps equipment always terrifies Irish Governments. This Learjet was always the second fiddle to a Gulstream IV until that needed major overhaul in the Gulfstream factory. The Government dithered over whether to spend the required funds on the airframe until Gulfstream told them to make up their mind, whereupon it was sold to Gulfstream for apittance along with various spares (including an engine), who then overhauled it and sold it at a massive profit.

That Gulstream was supposed to be replaced by an A319 a few years earlier, but the public backlash ended that. This LJ likely has the most cycles of any in the world (like the Gulf IV did).

And a basic subscription to Netjets would save millions

Nearly all the opposition in Ireland is very leftwing so a government jet is easy ammo despite the fact that every state has an air transport arm in the military, every incoming government will keep one and the aircraft is multi role (it is a highly effective air ambulance).
All AIC equipment tends to be very multi role anyway, such is the nature of operation.

Look over there !
 

it is not a “fact” that every state has an air transport arm in the military , some states that can’t afford it or don’t need it, or have a history of violent colonial militaristic rule , don’t have a military at all . Even states that can justify a military have in the past opted to remove the governments air transport arm , one notable one after the president and his senior civilian officials perished in the care of their “elite” flying servants .

So someone probably decided that it would be more economical to sign up with Netflix instead....:D

Jack

How dare they spend money on their own air defence, that's now a job for the Royal Air Force!

Look over there !
 

It’s not their own defence - there is no aerial threat to Ireland except the one made up by those with vested interests - & the dublin zoo “meerkats” who watch too much TV. If the UK govt decides Irish airspace is a threat corridor to them then they should police it & pay for it. The biggest “threat” would be an air to air collision with an airliner or similar catastrophic mishap involving civilians by a fighter more than likely by a homegrown operator or far less likely by one of a neighbouring state -and that increased risk is precisely why Ireland should not squander tax payers money on a deluded doomed project to protect UK airspace. Only an idiot would spend vast sums of money on something already provided competently for free for which there is no actual need .

Hell hath no fury like a politician denied his/her trip on a private jet.

OK, I'll put you down for "votes against" on the tally sheet.
(But next time, please don't sugar coat it. Tell us how you really feel. :} )

​​​​​​​I think the Ryan Air Lear Jets hold that accolade.

The Irish government recognised some long time ago that Nature has shown the best way for an easy life.....be a parasite.

This is best illustrated by their beggar-your-neighbour international corporate tax policies ( happily now finally stamped out by EU) and the " defence policy " discussed in this thread.They should be flushed down the toilet until they recognise how to become an acceptable state. They are the N European equivalent of Hungary.

At least Hungary has FJs in it's inventory.

I imagine that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania should also get off their collective backsides and provide their own air defence rather than rely on the rest of NATO then?

As Lear are no longer building jets it will be interesting how long they will be supported, damned awful things to work on.

Amazingly moronic comment even if you are trying a foray into sarcasm/satire/irony, litotes or similar. I can't recognise which it might be as the stupidity is overwhelming.

To perhaps re-jig a phrase from a well-known film " What has Ireland ever done for NATO ? "

Since they are in NATO, and Republic of Ireland is not, I find your post to be puzzling at best.

Ireland and their situation may be more like Costa Rica, who have no army. (Ireland has an Army, and they do contribute to some UN peacekeeping operations).
They have done a risk assessment and have so far found their risk versus expected result to arrive at "don't need an Air Force / Air Defense Fighters" for reasons peculiar to their situation.

Or they do what the Uk did with the A320s and take elements of the Govt Flying Service out the hands of the military (and presumably the Defence budget)