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Ireland’s new €53 million Dassault Falcon 6X government jet was ordered without a key navigational system designed to assist landings in fog and other low-visibility conditions because the equipment is manufactured by an Israeli company.
The multi-purpose Strategic Reach Aircraft, operated by the Irish Air Corps from Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnell, was delivered in late 2025 and primarily transports the Taoiseach and government ministers. It can also perform long-distance air ambulance and medical evacuation missions.
The jet, which seats up to 14 passengers, replaced the state’s previous Learjet. The missing system is FalconEye, a Combined Vision System developed by Dassault Aviation in partnership with Israel’s Elbit Systems. The equipment, which sits on the aircraft’s nose and feeds enhanced imagery to pilots via a head-up display, uses cameras and sensors to improve situational awareness in poor weather, day or night.
Dassault describes it as providing “unprecedented all-weather situational awareness.”
Multiple sources have confirmed that the system was deliberately excluded. Including it would have required a formal written agreement with Elbit. Irish procurement officials determined this conflicted with government policy and requested that the system not be fitted.
In August 2024, then-Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin directed that Ireland would cease purchases of Israeli military equipment and review existing contracts, citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
A former Irish Air Corps pilot, Kevin Phipps, said the system offers “the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport.”
The Department of Defence has stated that the aircraft has “no current limits on the operational capability.” The same wording was used in response to a Dáil question from Labour TD Ged Nash in April 2026.
Sources, however, said the absence of FalconEye restricts the range of options available to pilots in certain weather conditions. The decision contrasts with other recent Air Corps acquisitions. Four new Airbus helicopters for the force include Helionix flight systems jointly manufactured by Airbus and Elbit, which are integral to the aircraft and cannot be omitted. A new maritime patrol CASA C-295 also carries Israeli-made radar.
The Falcon 6X remains fully operational for its intended roles, according to official statements, though the exclusion of the enhanced vision system has drawn attention to the practical implications of Ireland’s procurement policy on Israeli-origin technology.
This article was originally published by SnDMedia.
