To upgrade the dauphin avionics to modern standards, was going to cost 1.5m per aircraft. This would not have extended the service life of the 22 year old machines.
Eh How did you come up with that idea, of course upgrading extends the life. plus stripping the aircraft down would have extended the life of the craft, demonstrated by Rotorleasing in the work they did on the aircraft.. Just because something is old does not mean it is useless or of no use, or does not perform to the ability of newer machinery, in flying in Ireland iT stated the SA air force had to buy two different types of helicopter to carry out the role previously done by the A111. A 1975 Ferrari, will out perform a 2008 S2000, 33 years in age difference yet the technology in the S2000 is far more complex then the Ferrari. You can buy a car with all the electronics you want, sat Nav, Blue tooth or the new Zigby, Intelligent Indicators etc or you can can buy a Tata or Renault Logan, wind up windows, a radio and as cheap as chips, both get you from A to B.
Same principal for an aircraft, hence why you see, S61's built in the seventies still going strong and as are C130's and that is why you will see the Irish Dauphin around for many more years, but in someones else hands.