| Air Corps An tAerchór |
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|---|---|
Emblem of the Air Corps |
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| Founded | 1924 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Size | 930 personnel 24 aircraft (+ 3 aircraft in support of An Garda Síochána) |
| Part of | Defence Forces |
| Main airbase | Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel |
| Motto | Forḟaire agus Tairiseaċt ("Watchful and Loyal") |
| Insignia | |
| Current roundel | |
| Previous roundels | (1922–1923) (1939–1954) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | PC-9M |
| Patrol | CASA CN235-100MP Persuader |
| Trainer | PC-9M |
| Transport | CN-235 Gulfstream IV Learjet 45 AW139 EC 135P2 |
The Air Corps (Irish: an tAerchór) is the air component of the Defence Forces of Ireland[1] providing support to the Army and Naval Service, together with non-military air services such as search and rescue and the Ministerial Air Transport Service. The principal airbase is Casement Aerodrome located at Baldonnel.[2]
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During the Anglo-Irish Treaty talks of 1921, a Martinsyde Type A Mark II biplane was purchased and put on 24-hour standby at Croydon airport in order to allow Michael Collins to escape back to Ireland if the talks failed. The plane was not needed for this mission, and it became the first aircraft of the new Air Service arriving in June 1922.[3] By the end of 1922, the Air Service comprised ten aircraft (including six Bristol F2B fighters from the First World War), and about 400 men.
With the establishment of the Defence Forces in 1924 the Air Service became the new Army's Air Corps and remained part of the Army until the 1990s.
In 1938 four Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters were delivered - a further eight were ordered but were embargoed by the outbreak of the Second World War.
During World War II (or The Emergency) there are no records of Air Corps planes engaging any belligerent aircraft, although dozens of escaped barrage balloons were shot down. 163 belligerent aircraft force-landed in Ireland during the war, and in this way the Air Corps acquired a Lockheed Hudson, a Fairey Battle, and three Hawker Hurricanes. The Hurricane gave the Air Corps a proven modern fighter, and - at peak - 20 flew in Irish colours.[3] After the war, the Hurricanes were replaced by Supermarine Seafires and a few two-seat Spitfire trainers.
The de Havilland Dove became the Corps' transport aircraft. The jet age arrived on 30 June 1956 when the Corps took delivery of a de Havilland Vampire T.55 trainer.[4] In early 1963 the Corps took delivery of its first helicopters, SA.316B Alouette IIIs, of which seven remained in service at the start of the 21st century. During their operational lifetime, 3,300 people were assisted by the Alouette helicopters in their Search and Rescue and air ambulance roles.
During the mid-sixties and early seventies, the Corps played a part in expanding Ireland's film industry. Pilots and engineering staff participated in a 1965 box office success, The Blue Max. The fleet of World War I replicas, owned by ex-RCAF fighter pilot Lynn Garrison's "Blue Max Aviation", was based at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel - before being moved to Weston Aerodrome at Leixlip. Here the Corps continued its involvement, providing aircrew and engineering staff to support films such as Darling Lili, Von Richthofen and Brown, Zeppelin and a number of television commercials. Lynn Garrison was also responsible for coordinating the first demonstration of the Marchetti SF-260 Warrior at Baldonnel. As a result of this presentation the Corps acquired a number of Warriors.
In the mid-1970s the expansion of the "Ministerial Air Transport Service" (MATS) following Ireland's accession to the European Economic Community (now the European Union) led to the acquisition of the Corps' first business jet, a BAe 125-700.
In 1975 several Fouga Magister CM-170 jet aircraft were purchased secondhand from France. They were used for training, for the Light Strike Squadron and for the Silver Swallows display team. They were withdrawn from service in 1998 and not replaced, leaving the Irish Air Corps without any jet combat aircraft.
In 1977 ten SIAI-Marchetti SF.260WE Warriors were delivered for light training and ground attack roles. Four have been lost in crashes. In 1986 five SA 365Fi Dauphin II were acquired for the SAR role. Two of these were modified for operation from the Naval Service Helicopter Patrol vessel LÉ Eithne, and equipped with crashproof fuel tanks and harpoon deck arrester gear.
As part of Ireland's obligations to the European Union, the Irish Air Corps patrols 132,000 square miles (342,000 km²) of sea. The Air Corps previously employed two of three Beechcraft 200 Super King Airs for this duty. However, the Super King Airs used for Maritime patrol were disposed of in the 1990s, and the third was allocated to transport duties.[5][6] Two CASA C235-100 maritime patrol aircraft now undertake these patrols - and were upgraded in 2006/2007 by EADS CASA to the FITS Persuader standard with enhanced radar, forward looking infra red equipment and a new electronic and avionics suite.
In its MATS role, following Ireland's assumption of the EU Presidency the Corps leased a Grumman Gulfstream III - which in 1990 became the first Irish military aircraft to circumnavigate the world. A Grumman Gulfstream IV was later acquired, as was a Learjet 45.
In 2004 eight Pilatus PC-9M trainers were delivered to the Air Corps. The Pilatus aircraft were the first Air Corps aircraft to break with an IAC tradition of using consecutive tail-numbers. The General Officer Commanding started the new Pilatus tail-numbers in the 260 series - jumping from tail-number 258 (a Learjet 45) to 260 (the first Pilatus) - skipping tail-number 259. The Pilatus is the first Air Corps aircraft to have ejection seats since the Vampire.
Two Eurocopter EC 135P2 Light Utility Helicopters were delivered to the Irish Air Corps (IAC) in November 2005. The first of four AgustaWestland AW139s were handed over to the IAC at Agusta's facility in Milan in November 2006.[7] Two of the AW139 remained in Milan to provide training for Irish pilots before being flown to Ireland in December 2006. These helicopters are another first for the IAC as they are delivered with the capability to carry door mounted 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Guns.
On 12 October 2009 an Air Corps instructor, Captain Derek Furniss, and Cadet David Jevens were killed when their Pilatus PC-9 crashed during a training exercise in Connemara, County Galway.[8]
During the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Air Corps was tasked with evacuating approximately forty Irish citizens from the troubled country. The operation involved two Air Corps aircraft (the Learjet and one CN-235), and nine personnel, using Malta as a temporary base.[9][10][11]
| Aircraft[12] | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AgustaWestland AW139 | Italy | Transport Helicopter (M-L) | AW139 | 6 | Sometimes armed with door mounted GPMG |
| CASA CN-235 | Spain | Maritime patrol | CN-235M-100P | 2 | Upgraded by EADS-CASA in 2008 |
| Cessna 172 | France | Surveillance & Monitoring | FR172H | 5 | Reims-built |
| Eurocopter EC-135 | Germany | Trainer Helicopter | EC135P2 | 2 | Also used to support the Army when not in pilot training |
| Gates Learjet 45 | United States | VIP Transport | 45 | 1 | |
| Grumman G1159C Gulfstream IV | United States | VIP Transport | G1159C | 1 | |
| Pilatus PC-9M | Switzerland | Trainer Aircraft | PC-9M | 7 | 8 delivered, one crashed in 2009.[13] Sometimes equipped with HMG or rocket pods.[14][15] |
| In addition, the IAC operates on behalf of the national police force's Garda Air Support Unit: | |||||
| Britten-Norman Defender 4000 | United Kingdom | GASU reconnaissance and patrol | BN2T-4S | 1 | |
| Eurocopter EC 135T2 | Germany | GASU | EC135T2 | 2 | |
Replaced by the PC-9Ms, several SF-260WE Marchetti Warriors (the previous fixed-wing mainstay of the Air Corps College) were sold to a private reseller in the United States - though one example was retained for the IAC's museum collection. Several other aircraft (including four Dauphins and one Gazelle) have retired from service, struck off the IACs aircraft register and sold to foreign buyers.
The Sikorsky S-61N operated by the IAC for Search and Rescue/Coast Guard operations was returned to CHC Helicopter - who now operate the S-61N in the same Coast Guard SAR capacity. As part of this consolidation to a limited number of supported types, and following the exercise of two further options on AW139 Utility Helicopters, the previous army support fleet, the Alouette IIIs, were "stood down" at a ceremony at Casement aerodrome on September 21, 2007.
The Eurocopter twin squirrel helicopter of the Garda Air Support Unit was replaced by a second Eurocopter EC 135 in January 2008.
The Air Corps military roles and the functions it carries out are those of an army air corps rather than that of a conventional military air force. The Air Corps air space control and ground attack capacity is limited to low level and during clear weather. Helicopter troop transport is also limited but is now available 24 hours a day. The Air Corps non-military capabilities in aid to the civil power and other Government departments include Ministerial transport, fishery protection, limited maritime patrol, Garda support, search and rescue over both land and sea, an air ambulance service and non-combatant evacuation. The Air Corps provides the State the capacity to meet any ongoing needs and should it be required the basis to expand.
The Air Corps provides an air ambulance service for emergency rapid transfer of patients between hospitals or to hospitals from offshore islands if the Coast Guard helicopters are not available. The service also transports emergency organ retrieval teams. The aircraft's used are the AW139, CASA and Learjet.
The Air Corps operates two CASA CN235 Maritime Patrol aircraft in support of the fishery protection. These long-range aircraft patrol throughout the Irish exclusive fishery limits. The Cessna's and occasionally the EC135 and AW139 helicopters are used to monitor inshore fishing activities.
The Air Corps provideds a Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) to assist An t-Úachtarán and members of the Government in official engagements at both home and abroad. The Gulfstream IV and Learjet 45 are used specifically for this purpose. The AW139 and occasionally the EC135 and CASA are also used for the MATS.
The Air Corps in conjunction with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform currently operates three aircraft for the Garda Air Support role. Operational control of the aircraft remains with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, whereas the Air Corps provide pilots and aircraft technicians to the Garda Air Support Unit to fly and maintain the aircraft.[16]
The Air Corps' ranks are similar to those of the Irish Army. The strength is 850 all ranks.[2]
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