Ireland Rejected Israeli-Made System, Now Prime Minister’s New Jet Lacks Ability To Help Pilots Land in Fog: Report

A new government aircraft that Ireland bought to shuttle the Taoiseach, or prime minister, and other government officials around is lacking a key navigational system that helps landing in fog because the tool is produced by an Israeli company.The $61 million Dassault Falcon 6X was ordered in 2024. At the time — the height of the Israeli response to the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas — Ireland’s then-foreign minister Michael Martin, now the nation’s Taoiseach, said his country would not purchase military or defense equipment made in Israel. That directive may hinder the jet pilot’s ability to land in inclement weather common to the Emerald Isle. An Irish outlet, the Journal, reported that the French-made jet typically comes with a system that sits on the nose of the aircraft, called a FalconEye, that helps planes “see through” fog and other conditions that limit visibility.The FalconEye, made by the Israeli company, Elbit, gives pilots “unprecedented all-weather situational awareness, day or night, in any phase of flight,” the plane’s manufacturer, Dassault, says. Pilots can operate the jet without FalconEye, but the Journal reports that they have “more limited opportunities for pilots to make the approach” without the system. A former Irish Air Corps pilot, Kevin Phipps, told the Journal, “The operational benefit of this system is the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport.”Ireland’s Department of Defense told the Journal that it would “not be appropriate to provide further comments on the specification of the aircraft,” but insisted that there are “no current limits on the operational capability of the aircraft.” The Journal reported that “well-placed sources” said at the “absence of the system placed limits on the range of options available to pilots.”Despite the prohibition on the acquisition of military equipment made in Israel, Ireland has four Airbus-made helicopters that have technology developed by Israeli companies. Those systems are reportedly crucial to the aircraft’s avionics, making them impossible to remove without disabling the vehicles.

Ireland Rejected Israeli-Made System, Now Prime Minister’s New Jet Lacks Ability To Help Pilots Land in Fog: Report

Ireland Rejected Israeli-Made System, Now Prime Minister’s New Jet Lacks Ability To Help Pilots Land in Fog: Report

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