Air Corps

265. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Defence whether the contract for Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems capabilities, which her Department stated in December 2025 was in final negotiations to conclude before the end of the year in advance of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, has been concluded; whether these systems are now operational; and if she will make …

268. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence if her Department can report on the amount paid to the private contractor that is supplying an out of hours ATC service to the Irish Air Corps at Casement Aerodrome in quarter one of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55912/26]

269. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence if her Department can outline the number of aircraft movements, including take off and landings, either by fixed or rotary wing aircraft, that have been supervised out of hours by flight information services officers under the contact supplying an out of hours ATC service to the Irish Air Corps at Casement Aerodrome in quarter one of 2026; and if…

270. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence if the out of hours ATC service that is being provided by a private contractor at Casement Aerodrome has the authority to provide instrument approach clearances to aircraft that wish to land in Casement Aerodrome who are flying under instrument flying regulations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55914/26]

299. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Defence the current availability of Air Corps aircraft and personnel to assist the emergency services in responding to major forest and wildfires; whether Air Corps operations in support of firefighting efforts are restricted to daylight hours; her views on reports that Air Corps aircraft arrive at fire scenes at approximately 10 a.m. and cease ope…

102. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Defence the cost of enhancement of the Air Corps' fleet with the addition of two additional medium lift rotary wing aircraft for enhanced Defence Forces support and priority ATCA taskings as per the CODF; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52824/26]

150. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Defence the names of specialist military courses that Air Corps personnel went to Canada given those specialist military courses are not available within the State in the years of 2025 and to-date in 2026; and the names of those courses and duration of each, in tabular form. [50793/26]

158. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the reasons no personnel completed pilot training in the Air Corps in 2023, despite 11 personnel being inducted that year; the attrition or dropout rate at each stage of pilot training for that cohort; whether the washout is linked to instructor capacity, aircraft availability, or other constraints under the Equipment Development Plan; and if …

159. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel who left the Air Corps in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and to date in 2026, broken down by category (details supplied); the breakdown of reasons for departure where recorded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49278/26]

160. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current strength versus establishment, in both numeric and percentage terms, for aircraft maintenance technicians and air traffic controllers specifically within the Air Corps, as distinct from the overall Air Corps establishment figure; the average time taken to fill a vacancy in each of these specialist categories; and if she will make a…

161. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence of the 800 applications received for the 2026 pilot and air traffic controller cadetship streams, the number that proceeded to interview; the number offered a place; the number who commenced training; the historical dropout or failure rate during the 30 month pilot cadetship training pipeline for each of the past five intakes; and if she will …

143. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Defence if the Air Corps new Airbus C295W is fully operational; the number of operations it has been involved in to-date outlining any air ambulance or evacuation missions it has been involved in; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46816/26]

144. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Defence the number of crew and passengers the Defence Forces new Airbus C295W can carry as opposed to the older CASA CN235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46817/26]

269. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Defence the annual intake and complete number for the Air Corps Pilot and Technical Training Programme for each of the past three years; and whether current training capacity aligns with projected staffing requirements under the Equipment Development Plan. [45748/26]

121. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Defence further to recent Dáil Éireann debates, her views on past health and safety measures in the Air Corps; the actions she plans to take to support former aircraft maintenance and ancillary personnel; whether she intends to ensure their medical needs are met; and the other supports that can be offered to the category affected as a whole.…

326. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of authorised pilot posts currently approved within the Air Corps; the number currently filled; the number vacant; and the corresponding figures for each year from 2023 to date in 2026. [39221/26]

327. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of Air Corps personnel currently in pilot training; the annual training intake capacity; the projected annual pilot output for 2026, 2027 and 2028 [39222/26]

10. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 21 of 6 May 2026, to elaborate on the difference between “Air Corps” and “Government jet” in her response; to clarify whether “Air Corps” is a reference to the previous Government jet or to other Air Corps aircraft; and the estimated cost to the Exchequer of each trip listed. [38058/26]

66. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance further to Question No. 219 of 6 May 2026, to elaborate on the difference between “Air Corps” and “Air Corps Government jet” in his response; to clarify whether “Air Corps” is a reference to the previous Government jet or to other Air Corps aircraft; the reason the “Air Corps” or “Air Corps Government” jet appears to have become th…

323. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the procurement mechanism used for the acquisition of the four Airbus H145 helicopters for the Air Corps; whether the acquisition was conducted through an open competitive tender process, a negotiated procedure, a Government-to-Government arrangement, or another procurement framework; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37022/26]

324. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether any exemption from standard public procurement procedures or EU defence procurement requirements was applied in relation to the acquisition of the four Airbus H145 helicopters for the Air Corps; the legal basis relied upon for any such exemption; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37023/26]

325. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether a formal value-for-money assessment, benchmarking exercise, or comparative procurement analysis was conducted prior to approval of the acquisition of the four Airbus H145 helicopters; whether comparisons were made with similar acquisitions by other EU member states; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37024/26]

326. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the total approved acquisition cost associated with the four Airbus H145 helicopters for the Air Corps, including airframes, training, maintenance support, spare parts, mission systems, avionics, and associated infrastructure costs; and if she will provide a breakdown of same. [37025/26]

327. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces were considered during the procurement process relating to the acquisition of the four Airbus H145 helicopters; whether the Department assessed medium-lift helicopter capability requirements as part of that process; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…

328. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether any Israeli-manufactured, Israeli-developed, or Israeli-origin systems, avionics, software, communications equipment, sensors, or mission components form part of the Airbus H145 helicopters acquired for the Air Corps; whether ministerial approval was specifically sought or granted in relation to any such components; and if she will mak…