Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 June 2004
59 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Defence the circumstances under which it is envisioned that the ranger unit promised to the European Rapid Reaction Force will require the use of the four new armed helicopters that are to be purchased to boost the State’s anti-terrorist capabilities. [17933/04]
View answerI am pleased to report to the House that the planned procurement of modern light utility and utility helicopters will provide a significant boost to the Air Corps in terms of available flying hours at reduced maintenance costs compared to the existing aircraft in the Air Corps helicopter wing. It will also provide increased capability in the roles currently undertaken by the existing Air Corps light utility helicopters.
The procurement process for the acquisition of new helicopters for the Air Corps has commenced. Following discussions between senior officials in my Department and the military authorities, it has been decided that up to six helicopters will be acquired, two light utility helicopters primarily for pilot training, instructor training and instrument flight training and four larger utility helicopters, with the option of two additional such helicopters, for general purpose military operational and training roles which will include training and operations with special forces, security and aid to the civil power, military exercises, infantry interoperability training and limited troop transport. The helicopters will also be required to perform air ambulance, aid to the civil community and VIP transport tasks.
The tender competition for the helicopters was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 29 May 2004. The closing date for the receipt of tenders is Friday, 23 July 2004. The usage of the helicopters will cover a wide spectrum of the Defence Forces' requirements and will not be dedicated for use by any particular element of the Defence Forces, including the Army ranger wing. The helicopters are not being purchased for circumstances envisioned in the Deputy's question. Ireland's commitment to the headline goal consists of an offer of up to 850 members of the Defence Forces from within our existing commitment of 850 personnel to the United Nations stand-by arrangements system. This represents 10% of our Army, a not inconsiderable undertaking by any standard.
In the context of the production of the White Paper on Defence of February 2000, the issue of deploying the Air Corps and Naval Service on peace support operations was considered and it was decided that, given the domestic demands on both services' resources, it would not be reasonable for them to participate beyond the domestic environment. There is no commitment of Air Corps or Naval Service resources in Ireland's declaration under the EU Helsinki headline goal or the United Nations stand-by arrangements system. National sovereignty and voluntarism are the fundamental underlying principles of participation in the European Security and Defence Policy. Ireland will approach each proposed peace support operation on a case-by-case basis and will participate only in operations authorised by the United Nations with the approval of the Government and, where appropriate in accordance with the Defence Acts, the approval of this House.
I hope I heard the Minister right, and he might wish to re-confirm that these helicopters will not be used in overseas operations but are primarily for training and other such operations at home. Will these helicopters be available to the Irish Coastguard in its search and rescue work which was transferred to it in the past year, considering the debacle on the west coast and the need for all the helicopters on this island to be available for emergencies at sea?
The arrangements to be made by the Irish Coastguard in terms of the search and rescue service for the islands, seafarers and the coastal community will ultimately be provided by CHCI. However, the type of helicopter being purchased and to be commissioned is a considerable advance on anything we have at the moment. Whatever call is made by any community, whether seafaring, air ambulance, training or transport, the Air Corps has traditionally met that requirement fully. I envisage that circumstances will arise whereby the Air Corps will be asked to supplement from time to time any other available services. These helicopters are specially designed for a wide range of roles. The Deputy's query will be met on some future occasion.
What armaments are included in the tender specification and are they of the NATO standard or are they specific armaments?
The tender document requests tenderers to provide a mounting for a general purpose machine gun of 7.62 mm calibre on both sides of the fuselage. The mounting will be a removable part and will not remain on the aircraft at all times. Tenderers are also asked to provide options on the capability of the helicopters to provide limited fire support covering a broad spectrum of basic weapons.
