What aircraft would you like to see in AC service?

[Imshi-Yallah]

As I said, if you want an air combat asset for the Greens to go mental over, might as well get something that has practical value operating overseas in support of peace support units and possibly deploying via a future naval vessel.
A129 is less capable than the AH-64 or Tiger in the attack/anti tank role but would be a capable escort and recce platform.
Its also smaller nimbler and slightly cheaper.

[pym]

I've been on this board too long; my first thought was "where does the VIP sit?".. then I was thinking.. hmm the GASU will be wanting one of these before too long as well...

Anyway, seriously, what prices are we talking about for these helicopters?

It looks like a quality piece of kit but one cant help thinking that this is something Irish governments will leave to other countries to provide our forces when on hostile environments.

[Guinness]

I think you're right Pym

The price of this piece of weaponsystem is about € 15 m. each.

For a decent service you'll need 4 at least which make over a € 30 million.
Looking at weaponsystems, training for both aircrew and tech staff you're looking at such an ammount of money which I know for sure the IAC / Gouverment is NOT willing to pay.

We in the RNLAF bought 30 AH-64D a few years ago and now we are already selling 6 of them.
While 6 are in Iraq, 6 in Afganistan, 8 in the USA to train our aircrew and 8 in maint. that leaves 2 (!!!) operational in our own airspace.

To my opinion an AC/AF can only operate OK if at least 10 are operational.

Guinness

[Imshi-Yallah]

Errr that depends entirely on the scale and tempo of operations, I was thinking along the lines of 4-6 allowing two to be operationally deployed at any one time, we're talking about an escort for the solitary battalion battle group we can send overseas so in those terms two aircraft would be adequate for some tasks, while 4 would allow two to be in the air at once; therefore if you wanted to have a really worthwhile operational capability you would want six, so say roughly 100m all inclusive.
Not a bad price for safeguarding a full infantry battalion on an ongoing basis.

These would be an organic aviation asset, the government once felt that APCs and Artillery were something that should be provided by someone else but slowly all the pieces of a proper battlegroup have come in to place and it was only the shortage of something as mundane as trucks that prevented an artillery regiment being made ready for deployment to fill a possible gap in the SFOR/EUFOR ORBAT.