Irish Air Corps Casa CN-235 and PC-9 aircraft
Taken by Josh Clarke @clarkeaviation on IG
The Irish Air Corps are a part of the Irish Defense Forces (Óglaigh na hÉireann) and have been playing an integral role in helping Ireland fight the COVID-19 crisis. Their air force has taken much stress off the government’s shoulders in terms of testing. Before I get into this, let me talk about the Air Corps in general.
The aerial welfare group is based in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Dublin. They were founded in 1924. However, this all began back in 1921, when the independent National Army Air Service purchased a Martinsyde Type A Mark II biplane due to the Anglo-Irish Treaty talks. This aircraft was put on standby in Croydon Airport to allow Irish freedom fighter, Michael Collins, to return to Ireland if the talks failed. This aircraft wasn’t needed but became the first aircraft in the stated-run National Army Air Service in June 1922. This air force was then established in July 1922. In 1924, the Irish Army Air Corps was established following a re-organisation of the National Army at the end of the Civil War. Later that year, the Irish Defence Forces were established in which the Irish Air Corps was founded. The National Army Air Service remained part of the army until 1990.
The air force has a plethora of aircraft for many different purposes. They have 1 Learjet 45, 2 Casa CN-235s, 1 PBN defender, 1 Pilatus PC-12, 4 Eurocopter EC135s, 6 AgustaWestland AW139, and 8 Pilatius PC-9s. Their Casa CN-235s will be retired in 2023 and will be replaced by Airbus AC295 aircraft. There are also more PC-12 aircraft entering the fleet to replace their old Cessna FR172H aircraft. However, what has been very important in recent weeks is the work done by their only Pilatus PC-12 in the fleet at the moment.
On the 3rd of May, Irish Air Corps’ PC-12 landed in Munich, Germany from Baldonnel Air base operating flight IRL820. They delivered Irish COVID-19 tests to the German city to help the Irish nation fight the COVID-19 crisis. Since then, they have sent their PC-12 three times to date. This operation has opened due to exemptions made by the Irish government to the UN’s ban on troop movements.
They have also been flying to Pristina, Kosovo to repatriate Irish peacekeepers. They have been using their PC-12 aircraft to carry out these operations. The Irish Air Corps have used their Casa CN-235 once to help. They have operated these flights four times to date via Nuremberg. Yesterday, the Irish Government stated that they are making plans to rent an aircraft to evacuate 2 Irish army officers operating a peacekeeping mission from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This is due to growing fears for their safety during the Coronavirus pandemic. The Irish Air Corps originally wanted to use their Learjet 45 to the African country but that would mean that they would have to make 7 refuelling stops to get to the DRC along with staying overnight for at least two nights.
The two Irish officers are armed but live in an apartment in Goma rather than a secure compound. “They are very exposed as none of the normal force protections are available to them,” a source has said to the Irish Times.
Ireland is the only EU country without any long range troop transport aircraft. Usually, the Defence Forces charter commercial planes or ask for assistance from other air forces to move troops between countries. These two options are now no longer available due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Irish Department of Defence said. As a result, a further 350 Irish troops deployed in Lebanon on the Unifil mission will most likely not be returning home before the end of June. They originally meant to get home around mid-May.
In the Dáil on Thursday, Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar said he has asked Vice-Admiral Mellett to consider the possibility of buying an aircraft for troop transport. He stated that a new aircraft may be cheaper now that most commercial flights are grounded. They also might lease a larger aircraft to operate the repatriation flight to the DRC.
Buying a new aircraft would allow the Air Force to repatriate many other Irish troops on peacekeeping missions a lot easier. Nonetheless, they have brought back peacekeepers from Kosovo and have been actively helping Ireland with the COVID-19 crisis.
The Irish Air Corps have also been aiding the country by providing life saving services. They airlift those injured to hospitals swiftly in their helicopters. For example, two days ago a young boy was airlifted to hospital from Longford to the University Hospital Galway. He was injured while out playing and is now expected to make a full recovery according to the Irish Air Corps Twitter page. They also help put out fires like the one that broke out in County Kildare very recently. They used their AW139 to tackle the blaze. Overall, the Irish Air Corps play a vital role in helping the country of Ireland. They are the people in the shadows who are helping us battle this pandemic and deserve more recognition for their amazing work.
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