An Garda Síochána has purchased a new high-tech surveillance aircraft, which is due to enter service next year.
The fixed-wing plane is significantly larger than the model it is replacing, a British-made Britton Norman Defender, which is 27 years old and nearing the end of its service life.
Garda headquarters confirmed an aircraft had been purchased but declined to go into any specifics on the model or costs.
However, security sources say the aircraft is a Canadian-made De Havilland Twin Otter Guardian. These cost about €6.5 million before any surveillance equipment is added. The force’s budget for last year included an allowance of €7 million for a new aircraft.
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The plane will require two pilots to fly it instead of the Defender’s single pilot. These would fly alongside a team of specialist gardaí operating surveillance equipment in the aircraft’s rear.
As is standard, the plane will be piloted by Air Corps officers and serviced by Air Corps technicians. However, military sources have raised concerns about the availability of personnel to operate the aircraft, which is expected to enter service in the middle of next year.
Its mission will exclusively centre on intelligence gathering and surveillance. The aircraft is designed to operate at high altitude, invisible to people on the ground, and it can remain on station in the air for hours at a time.
In previous years, the Garda aircraft has been used to monitor activity by organised crime groups and subversives, although its exact activities are a closely guarded secret.
In a statement issued last month, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada said it had sold a Twin Otter Guardian to “an undisclosed European country for surveillance operations”.
The aircraft will now be fitted with a wide range of cameras and surveillance equipment, which will allow it to monitor activity on the ground from a heigh of 5,000ft. It can also be adapted to carry out medical evacuations but it is not known if the Garda aircraft will be used for this purpose. If converted to a passenger aircraft, it can carry 19 people.
According to publicly available specifications, the Guardian has a maximum range of 1,400km and can stay in the air for up to seven hours.
The Government has also provided funding for a new Garda helicopter, with the option to purchase a second. The Garda Air Support Unit currently operates two helicopters, which fly out of Casement Aerodrome in Dublin and are also piloted by Air Corps officers.
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