more cuts

[irishsamourai]

be careful ,if you don't have a strong DF may be luxembourg attack ireland and win
sorry
i think your army has the good size for your country but poor in equipment like the tank squadron ,too small , just good for police operation .
your navy is very limit ,no large ship , just for ZEE operation but your sailors do a very good job.
And the IAC , for me ,it's just a training air force , you are very limit for civilian or military operation and the equipment is very old like the gazelle or the cessna 172 , your pilot take a lot of risk in the future if you stay with these planes .

[Lude]

The gazelle and cessna aircraft are pretty young in comparison to our alouette helicopters that are in service for 40 years,you're right its pretty bad.
Its nice to hear outside views on this too.

[Irish Marine]

FiannaFail-I would not be laughing the the American Armed Forces. The B52's are old from the outside, but inside they are totally modernized with the best equipment in the world.  
 
Fianna Fail-One small Marine Air station has more equipment than the whole Irish Defence Forces.

 Stop your Bashing Fianna Fail, you sound like a total------. I know that a lot of people on this board feel the same way about you.  

Fianna Fail-you live in dream world, I often wonder are you even in the Irish Defence Forces. Just a reminder a lot of former Irish Rangers are in the American Armed Forces. A lot of them left due to the poor standards in the Defence Forces.

Bottom line is Fianna Fail-Get with the program!!!!!!

Fianna Fail-I am sure your SGTS during basic had a great laugh at you-LOL LOL. Anti American fool that you are!!!! I wonder do they have a communist among them!!!!!

Fianna Fail-The most corrupt party in Ireland-Just shows us all here on this board, what you are all about-LOL.
 '>    '>

[Irish Marine]

The PC9's dont impress me, I was hoping that in this 21st century that I would see fighters and high speed helicopters become part of the Irish Air Corps.  Its a sad time indeed with thes cuts.  Ireland needs new Helicopters badly, lets hope the Aircorps contact the PDFORA and take a stand!!!!! '>

[Imshi-Yallah]

FF what exactly is an S-60? Never hear of that helicopter, I know that there is an S-61, an S-70, an S-92 even a H-60 but since that helicopter is mad in military variants only Sikorski would never give it the S designation for civilian.

[Lude]

we might get new helicopters by the end of the decade Marine, Hopefully the medium lift ones we were promised years ago,but I can't see the air corps being supplied with fighter aircraft in the forseeable future.
I mean can you really imagine that yourself? i'm not saying I wouldn't like to see the air corps equipped with the latest technology aircraft but the truth of the matter is it's not going to happen right now.

[FiannaFail]

'>
Me Anti American? Never!! Bush and Rumsfeld the best leaders USA has ever had. I love the B-52s, but they weren't made today or yesterday were they? It just shows you age isn't everything!  I for one would love an USAF base in Ireland and that we would be part of NATO. (I enjoyed our visit to the US Air base in Aviano, Italy a few years ago).
Kind regards,
FF :'>
PS Its programme not program!!

[Irish Marine]

Lude-It would be nice to see a fighter jet flying over Clondalkin on its final approach to the Don. I have great memories seeing the dauf's and the alou's flying around. I hope we can see our beloved Irish Air Corps get revamped.  '>  

[Irish Marine]

FiannaFail-I am sorry if I jumped the gun.
Great comments indeed!!!! '>  

[batafada]

sorry more of ther same news , different packaging
from mondays indo .
PLANS to buy a fleet of light armoured vehicles (LAVs) for the Army for use on UN or European Rapid Reaction Force missions have been shelved because of budgetary cutbacks.

With a purchase of up to 65 armoured vehicles costing €20m "deferred" for several years, Irish soldiers given peacemaking or peace-enforcing roles abroad by the Government will have to make do with ordinary Nissan Patrol jeeps for patrolling or reconnaissance.

The Army had tested one likely armoured vehicle, the Swiss-made Mowag Eagle, on routine patrols and at Mondello Park.

But in the latest moves by the Department of Defence a second programme to replace thousands of 40-year old FN pistols has also been put on the back burner.

The decisions come after the department cut a second order for Mowag armoured personnel carriers from 40 to 25 saving €19m; and cancelled a plan for five large helicopters for search and rescue and troop transport at a cost of up to €100m "due to budgetary constraints."

Defence Minister Michael Smith announced the investment programmes for light armoured vehicles and pistol replacement in 2001. A spokesman was unable to say when they would be purchased.

Officially, the department line is that no equipment has been promised to the Rapid Reaction Force which is planned to be operational this year, simply a commitment of a light infantry battalion of 750 soldiers and a 40 strong Ranger platoon.

But in reality the Army is training and preparing a mechanised light infantry battalion using 63 Mowag Piranha armoured personnel carriers, backed up by 81mm mortars and other equipment for the Rapid Reaction Force and the UN standby commitment.

The LAVs had been a key priority for the new infantry battalion group but others such as night vision equipment, radios, a field hospital, engineering equipment and anti-armour weapons have been met. Twenty-five, instead of 40, Piranha amoured personnel carriers, will also be bought.


Don Lavery


 what can one say... SFA... untill we get rid of this bunch of corrupts  !!!

[batafada]

poor ff blunders again. program and programme are just
two spelling variations of the same word . now do the right thing ff and apologize to mr irish marine.there is no such thing as a  S- 60 . sorry about that one as well.

[Irish Marine]

All that bloody money wasted on the prick on a stick!!!!! What a digrace!!!!!!!      I hope some comes on this board soon with some good news.

[Lude]

I totally agree,at least the issue is getting some attention in decent publications.
But to get the level of interest needed to really do something we all know what has to happen,unfortunately.
I mean the entire situation is farcical.

[Imshi-Yallah]

Actually if you look up any recent listings of world airforces and equipment you'll see that at least 50% of "poor world" countires of the south have a vastly superior airforce, another 30& have a pretty superior (on paper at least) force and only hte bottom 20% are similar or worse, on the brightside we could probably take Swaziland if no-one helped them.

Irish Marine, Irish soldiers have been doing that for hundreds of years, any foreign army that would take them usually, FFL, BA, USMC, spanish legion (no longer open for foreigners), one of the consequences of introducing a shorter contract for the PDF is that they tend to leave and join the british army ASAP,.

[Irish Marine]

Sad times indeed for our Defence Forces!!!!!!!!!! We are now going to be left behind, all because no one will take a stand and revamp the Defence Forces!!!!!!

What a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!