New Irish government jet ‘can’t land in fog’ after ministers demanded Israeli

The Irish government’s new jet may not be able to land in fog or rough weather after ministers ordered the removal of an Israeli-made navigation system, it has been reported. The aircraft, a €53m Dassault Falcon 6X jet, was delivered to Dublin for use by officials just before Christmas last year. The previous governmental plane was a Lear Jet, which was retired due to technical difficulties and its comparatively shorter range. However, multiple sources reportedly confirmed to Irish outlet The Journal that the system used to help the new plane land in low-visibility weather was removed because it was made by Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence firm which has contracts with the IDF. The tech, known as FalconEye, is usually placed in the aircraft’s nose and is used to improve visibility for the pilots by providing a live view of the landing site. Former Irish Air Corps pilot and now airline pilot Kevin Phipps explained: “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. “The operational benefit of this system is the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport”. In August 2024, Micheal Martin, the then-defence minister who is now Ireland’s Taoiseach, declared that Dublin would boycott products manufactured by Israel. Including the FalconEye device would require the government to enter into a written agreement with Elbit, which would violate this policy. The Journal also reported that four new helicopters built by Airbus Helicopters UK for the Irish Air Corps contained technology built in Israel. The technology, Helionix, is manufactured by Airbus and Elbit. However, Helionix flight systems are integral to the cockpits of the helicopters and cannot be removed. Furthermore, new maritime patrol CASA 295 aircraft also reportedly contain Israeli-manufactured radar systems.