IVAO Ireland > Special Operations > Irish Air Corps > Fleet

Irish Air Corps Fleet

General

The Irish Air Corps fleet operates in diverse roles. To accomplish all of these roles, the Irish Air Corps operates a fleet of 11 different types grouped here by their operating role within the Irish Air Corps.

Fisheries Patrol aircraft

A large proportion of Irelands natural resources are in the sea. Air Corps Fisheries Patrol operations patrol the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the West coast of Ireland. The (EEZ) consists of 132,000 square miles of open sea and is patrolled by both sea and air.

The aircraft involved are:

  • Casa CN235

Army Support aircraft

The Air Corps support the army in various ways including reconnaisance, troop transport, medical evacuation and cargo transport.

The aircraft involved are:

  • Cessna 172
  • AW139
  • EC135 P2

Flight Training aircraft

The Air Corps trains its own pilots and so requires state of the art aircraft to ensure they are trained to the highest international standards.

Ongoing training is also undertaken to ensure our pilots maintain their high skills level.

The aircraft involved are:

  • Pilatus PC-9M

Aircraft in support of An Garda Síochána

The Air Corps provide pilots to fly the Garda Air Support Unit aircraft. In 2004, the Air Corps negotiated a final draft Service Level Agreement covering all aspects of the Air Corps commitments to flying the Garda aircraft. The final draft Service Level Agreement with the Garda Air Support Unit was agreed and signed in 2004.

The aircraft involved are:

  • PBN Defender
  • EC135 T2
  • Squirrel 2

Ministerial Air Transport aircraft

The Ministerial Air Transport squadron (MATS) provide secure transport to An tUachtarán, An Taoiseach, An Tánaiste, members of Government and their staff, both on and off the island of Ireland.

International flights are carried out by the Gulfstream G-IV executive aircraft. During 2004 the Learjet 45 was introduced into service flying over 600 hours with 100% dispatch reliability during 2004.

The Beechcraft is used when the G-IV or Learjet 45 is not available.

The aircraft involved are:

  • Beech Craft
  • Gulfstream IV
  • LearJet 45