A new Irish government jet may struggle to land in bad weather because it was ordered without key navigation equipment from an Israeli firm, according to a report Tuesday by the Irish outlet The Journal.
The 53 million euro (61 million USD) Dassault Falcon 6X aircraft would normally include Elbit’s FalconEye low-visibility system, a system of cameras and sensors that gives pilots additional information amid fog or darkness.
In August 2024, Ireland said it would no longer award Israeli companies defense contracts, citing an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice against Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The report noted that Ireland recently inducted four new helicopters and a maritime patrol aircraft that include systems made by Elbit and other Israeli firms. However, in this case Ireland would have had to enter a written agreement with the Israeli company in order to have the system included, and “procurement officials determined this was a step too far.”
The Irish defense department has not confirmed or denied the absence of the system, but has said “there are no current limits on the operational capability of the aircraft.”
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However, The Journal cited pilots as saying the lack of the FalconEye does limit pilots’ options for landing in foggy weather.
View of Elbit Systems offices in Jerusalem on December 3, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
“Enhanced vision systems use a number of infra-red and other light spectrum cameras whose imagery is projected onto heads-up display screens in the cockpit to provide unparalleled situational awareness, allowing pilots to see at night and through the most inclement weather conditions,” Kevin Phipps, a former Irish Air Corps pilot and now an airline pilot, told the Journal.
“The operational benefit of this system is the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport,” he said.
According to the report, the aircraft, which was delivered in December, is intended to be used both for transporting senior government officials and as a long-distance air ambulance under certain circumstances.
The Journal said that it made a Freedom of Information Act request for information regarding any additional projects that have been restricted or forgone due to Israeli ties, but the Irish Defense Ministry responded saying they had no relevant documents to share.
Ireland has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s military campaign against terror groups in Gaza in the wake of the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel that triggered the war. It recognized a Palestinian state in 2024.
Soon after, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ordered the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin, blaming Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.”
Last month, Ireland’s parliament approved legislation banning imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jewish areas of East Jerusalem.
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters march in Dublin, Ireland, January 13, 2024. (Screen capture: X/Fergal O’Brien, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
In June, Dublin banned far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, slamming their behavior toward pro-Palestinian activists.
Dublin has also long pushed for a review of the European Union’s EU-Israel Association Agreement, a cooperation deal signed in 1995 that forms the basis for trade ties with Israel.
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