Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-09
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I thank the Deputy for this particular question. Developing the military radar capability of the Defence Forces is one of my key priorities and a key element of the move to level of ambition 2. The Commission on the Defence Forces advised that the absence of a capability to maintain a complete recognised air picture is something we need to address. We need to make sure we have the capacity to have a recognised air picture and it needs to be complete. This means we would be able to protect our national sovereignty and airspace and we would have the ability to detect any infringements for the purpose of civil aviation safety and maintenance of co-operative relations with neighbouring states, which are also impacted by this capability gap.
Among its recommendations on capability development, the commission recommended that we develop a primary radar system to ensure Ireland can maintain that complete air picture and that this should be an immediate priority. That is why when I came into the Department I insisted this was brought forward in terms of our capital spend and that we bring forward as much of it as possible. This is being progressed under the military radar programme. There are three elements to it, namely, the land-based, long-range radar primary radar; ground-based air defence systems to include the counter-unmanned aerial systems, that is, the counter-drone technology and our maritime radar. This programme of work is ongoing but good progress has been made.
Towards the end of last year, the preliminary business case for the military radar programme was approved. This concluded that a Government-level approach with one country was the preferred option. In line with this approach my Department immediately commenced negotiations with France on a potential agreement for the delivery of capability requirements under this programme. These are ongoing with the French authorities. However, while full delivery of the programme will be complex, it has been prioritised with a target date identified in the years ahead of 2028. I published recently the detailed implementation plan for the development of this complete, recognised air picture. That being said, elements of the overall programme will be rolled out in phases. It is going to take a number of years to do all of this; starting this year in particular with the counter-UAS capabilities. The Deputy will have heard this discussed many times around the counter-drone technology and making sure we have this in place for our Presidency and to support the work of An Garda Síochána.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09