Minister for Justice Simon Harris has announced an additional capital allocation of €21.5 million to support significant investment in a replacement helicopter and fixed wing plane for An Garda Síochána (GASU). Funding will be provided in 2023 to support the procurement of a longer range and high capacity utility helicopter fully equipped with Garda mission equipment. This new helicopter will also support the rapid deployment of the Emergency Response Unit and Armed Support Units where necessary.
GASU currently operates two Eurocopter EC135 T2’s (256 & 272). It would make sense from a standardisation perspective that the new helicopter would also be an EC135 / H135 but the text from the Department implies the new helicopter would be bigger. The budget for the helicopter is €12.5 million +VAT so the Airbus H145 could be a contender. The H145 has more than double the internal cabin volume and would fit the bill for transporting the Armed Response and Emergency Response Units.
The announcement also includes a budget for the replacement of the Pilatus Britten-Norman BN 2T-4S Defender 4000 (254) that has been in service since GASU was established in 1997. The Department said they wish to procure a fully equipped plane, with the requisite reliability and enhanced capabilities to support policing, security and surveillance operations. Tender documents indicate that the aircraft should be a new high wing, twin engine, monoplane with Integrated Police Mission Suite and associated aircraft maintenance services for An Garda Síochána. The tendering process will commence in the next few months.
The type of aircraft was not specified but the high wing twin requirement limits the options significantly. Some media commentators mentioned an additional PC-12 but the tender specifications rule this out. Possible contenders would be the de Havilland / Vikingair DHC-6, Partenavia P.68 or the Tecnam P2012. Most of the Partnenavia models and the P2012 are piston powered and require Avgas 100LL fuel which is not available in Baldonnel since the retirement of the Cessna fleet. More details will likely become available when the tendering process commences.
Together, the investments will provide vital support to the security of the State, offering consistent and effective capacity to Garda national units in the investigation of espionage, terrorism, Organised Crime Gangs (OCG), border policing, human and drug trafficking, kidnapping and fuel smuggling/laundering.
Announcing the funding Minister Harris said: “The Garda Air Support Unit does vital work to combat criminal activity and protect the public. This new, state-of-the-art plane and helicopter will significantly boost the State’s aerial support and ability to uphold national security.
“The allocation of this additional funding is further evidence of the government’s commitment to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to keep us safe.
“It’s vital our Gardaí have the resources they need to tackle serious and organised crime, police our borders, investigate potential threats, increase their surveillance capacity and rapidly deploy specialist units, such as the Emergency Response Unit and the Armed Support Unit, across the State.”
The purchase of the fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter will be funded through the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. It is anticipated that the new helicopter will become operational in 2023, and the new plane will become operational in 2024.
Garda Air Support Unit – GASU
The Garda Air Support Unit (GASU) was established in September 1997 with the delivery of a Pilatus Britten-Norman BN 2T-4S Defender 4000 fixed wing aircraft and a Eurocopter AS355N Eceuriel (Squirrel) helicopter.
The unit is based at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel although from time to time aircraft may be based at other locations within the State. Garda aircraft may be deployed to incidents in the following cases:
- immediate threat to life
- incidents of a criminal, terrorist or other nationally important nature
- immediate threat of serious public disorder
- tasks leading to the prevention or detection of crime
- evidence gathering
- intelligence gathering
- photographic tasks
- traffic management/monitoring
Garda aircraft are maintained on the Irish military register. Irish Air Corps personnel pilot all aircraft and provide maintenance facilities on behalf of the Department of Justice. Heavy maintenance for the helicopters is conducted with Eurocopter UK at Oxford Airport. All aircraft in service with the unit are selected to meet stringent operational policing requirements. The aircraft are fitted with the latest police role equipment including state-of-the-art daylight and thermal image cameras mounted on gyro stabilised platforms, searchlights, extensive communication suites and microwave downlink/uplink technology.
Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR)
The funding for these purchases is coming from the BAR which aims to provide financial support to the most affected Member States, regions and sectors to deal with the adverse consequence of Brexit. Ireland is a significant beneficiary of this fund. Expenditure under the Reserve must demonstrate a direct link to the negative impact of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. The total fund for 2020-2023 in Ireland is €1.17 billion. The total funding required to for the new helicopter and aircraft amounts to €30.5 million +VAT. The BAR is contributing €21.5 million which suggests that the balance of €9 million is being provided by the Government.
