Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 May 2004
103 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Defence the number of planes in the service of the Air Corps; the type and age of each of these aircraft; the timescale for the acquisition of new aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13862/04]
View answerThere are a total of 36 aircraft in service with the Air Corps at present. There are 15 helicopters and 21 fixed wing aircraft. The table below sets out the type and age of these aircraft. It is extremely difficult to state the timescale for the acquisition of new aircraft which can vary significantly depending on tender responses, the availability of aircraft for demonstration, manufacturing schedules for different aircraft and so on. In relation to the delivery of the Pilatus aircraft, a contract was signed on 18 January 2003 and the first aircraft was delivered on 21 April 2004, a period of 15 months. The tender and contract award process can generally add approximately four to six months to this timeframe.
The procurement process for the acquisition of new helicopters for the Air Corps has commenced with the preparation of the tender documents in my Department. Up to six helicopters will be acquired, two light utility helicopters primarily for Air Corps crew training purposes and four larger utility helicopters for use in support of the Army and for other ancillary uses such as air ambulance. The new aircraft will replace the current fleet of Dauphin, Alouette and Gazelle aircraft. It is expected that the relevant notice for the tender competition will be sent by my Department to the Official Journal of the European Communities shortly. I have instructed my officials and the military authorities to give this procurement process top priority to ensure that a contract can be placed as early as possible.
|
Aircraft Type |
Number in service |
Age |
|
Helicopters |
||
|
Alouettes |
7 |
30 to 41 years |
|
Dauphins |
4 |
18 years |
|
Gazelle |
1 |
23 years |
|
S61 |
1 |
26 years |
|
Ecureuill |
1 |
7 years |
|
EC 135 |
1 |
2 years |
|
Fixed Wing |
||
|
GIV |
1 |
13 years |
|
Learjet |
1 |
6 months |
|
Beechcraft |
1 |
24 years |
|
CASA |
2 |
10 years |
|
Pilatus |
3 |
1 month |
|
Cessna |
5 |
32 years |
|
Marchetti |
7 |
27 years |
|
Defender |
1 |
7 years |
