Ireland is expanding its fleet of military aircraft, now with a focus on airlift capability.
The Irish Air Corps on 7 October received its third C295 from Airbus Defence & Space, with the latest example coming in a transport configuration.
Ireland’s first two C295s are configured for the maritime patrol mission, having been delivered in 2023 under a roughly €230 million ($252 million) contract signed in 2019.
The third, a transport variant, was contracted in 2022 for about €59 million.
“With two C295 maritime surveillance aircraft already in operation, this new aircraft in transport configuration will further enhance the Irish Air Corps’ range of services, including logistics support and transport of troops and equipment, medical evacuation and air ambulances, and a general utility role,” Airbus says.
Dublin says the combined €300 million investment in new airlift and patrol capability represents the largest single equipment project in the history of the Irish Defence Forces.
“[It] reflects the government’s continued commitment to strengthening airlift, logistics and medical support for operations at home and overseas,” the Irish Defence Forces say.
Ireland has long maintained military neutrality but has deployed forces overseas to support humanitarian, disaster response and UN peacekeeping missions.
Dublin’s top military officer, Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, says the C295 transport “will offer flexibility to the defence forces both at home and overseas through troop transport and logistics movement”. The airlifter will also be used to support medical transfers and non-combat evacuations of Irish citizens abroad “should the need arise”, Mulcahy adds.
Ireland plans to further expand its air corps fleet with a Dassault Aviation Falcon 6X scheduled for delivery in December. That €53 million deal was inked in late 2024 by then-defence minister Micheal Martin, now Ireland’s taoiseach, or prime minister.
Dublin has described the Falcon as a “strategic reach aircraft”.
“It will be used for a wide range of tasks, including the non-combatant evacuation of Irish citizens from critical situations, air-ambulance patient transfers, medical evacuation or repatriation of Irish Defence Forces personnel deployed on overseas missions, and logistics support for the transport of supplies to Irish Defence Forces overseas missions,” Martin said in 2024.
The Falcon will also be used for VIP transport of government officials.
