Air Corps Fleet
Today the Air Corps fleet operates in a more diverse role than ever before. To accomplish all of these roles, the Air Corps operates a fleet of 11 different types grouped here by their operating role within the Air Corps:
Fisheries Patrol aircraft
A large proportion of Irelands natural resources are in the sea. Air Corps Fisheries Patrol operations patrol the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the West coast of Ireland. The (EEZ) consists of 132,000 square miles of open sea and is patrolled by both sea and air.
The aircraft involved are:
Army Support aircraft
The Air Corps support the army in various ways including reconnaisance, troop transport, medical evacuation and cargo transport.
The aircraft involved are:
Flight Training aircraft
The Air Corps trains its own pilots and so requires state of the art aircraft to ensure they are trained to the highest international standards.
Ongoing training is also undertaken to ensure our pilots maintain their high skills level.
The aircraft involved are:
Aircraft in support of An Garda Síochána
The Air Corps provide pilots to fly the Garda Air Support Unit aircraft. In 2004, the Air Corps negotiated a final draft Service Level Agreement covering all aspects of the Air Corps commitments to flying the Garda aircraft. The final draft Service Level Agreement with the Garda Air Support Unit was agreed and signed in 2004.
The aircraft involved are:
Ministerial Air Transport aircraft
The Ministerial Air Transport squadron (MATS) provide secure transport to An tUachtarán, An Taoiseach, An Tánaiste, members of Government and their staff, both on and off the island of Ireland.
International flights are carried out by the Gulfstream GIV executive aircraft. During 2004 the Learjet 45 was introduced into service flying over 600 hours with 100 % dispatch reliability during 2004.
The Beechcraft is used when the GIV or Learjet 45 is not available.
The aircraft involved are: