A new Government jet is expected to cost the State between €40 million and €60 million, depending on those delightful little extras, writes Joe Humphreys
In purchasing a new jet, the Government will face a dazzling array of options. From plush interiors to counter-terrorism security systems, there is virtually no end to the added extras which can be bought with a particular model.
Leading the field of aircraft to be chosen will be a Gulfstream, the manufacturers of the existing Government jet, the GIV.
Because of the Air Corps' familiarity with its flight controls, pilots could be trained relatively quickly to operate a replacement model, now known as the G400. The same holds for one of two more upmarket models, the G500 or G550.
The basic prices for a G400 and G550 are €30 million and €41.6 million, respectively. But a minimum of extras can add €10 million to €20 million to these totals.
Such extras range from showers, staterooms and galleys with counter-top cooking to a gym, surround-sound entertainment systems and multiple flat-panel video monitors.
Satellite phones and increased sound-proofing are other optional extras, as is an infrared counter- measure system, designed to protect aircraft from ground- and air-launched heat-seeking missiles.
Plush interiors are a point of pride for Gulfstream, which boasts of unrivalled "comfort factors". It notes that its "Brazilian mahogany and maple surfaces, for example, receive 20 coats of clear finish before being polished to a mirror-like sheen. Seats are replaced or rebuilt from the frame outward in a 100-hour process, with foam-cushion densities to suit individual preferences."
Gulfstream even goes so far as bragging about its paint.
"Our paint," it says, "is lovingly and meticulously applied to provide a glossy, dazzling appearance, with razor sharp lines and uncommon attention to detail We paint in places others often don't - on the insides of baggage doors and access panels, inside wheel wells, on rear pylon beams and inside nacelles."
While the Government has yet to announce a purchase specification for the aircraft, it has indicated its desire for greater seat-capacity than the current G400, which can fly 16 passengers 4,100 nautical miles nonstop at a cruising speed of up to .88 Mach and to an altitude of up to 45,000 feet. The G500, in contrast, can fly 18 passengers non-stop at 5,800 nautical miles at a cruising speed of .885 Mach and to an altitude of up to 51,000 feet.
The G550 performs even better, being capable of flying 18 passengers at the same speed and altitude for up to 6,750 nautical miles nonstop.
Interestingly, Gulfstream offers warranty protection for its G400 on structural parts and labour of 15,000 hours and 15 years. Yet the Government is disposing of its model with just 8,400 miles on the clock.
As it happens, the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, will be visiting Gulfstream's home city of Savannah, Georgia, during St Patrick's Day celebrations next month. A spokesman for the Minister described this as "pure coincidence", however. "As of now, he has no plans to visit Gulfstream," the spokesman said, noting the principle aim of the Minister's visit was to join an Enterprise Ireland trade mission.
Apart from Gulfstream, the other major player in the business jet market is Learjet. Long synonymous with the "playboy" lifestyle of the rich and famous, the aircraft would seem to rule itself out, however, as it accommodates just six passengers and two crew.
A more realistic alternative for the Government would be the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), which is relatively new to the market, with just 59 models in service at present.
The advantage would be versatility, with Boeing capable of catering for up to 100 passengers with a wide range of aircraft at its disposal. On the downside, a BBJ is likely to cost more than a Gulfstream.
The former is used by a number of governments already, including the South African administration. Gulfstream boasts of 23 countries, including the US, which use its aircraft for transporting heads of state.
The US, of course, also operates Air Force One, a Boeing 747 with 4,000 square feet of interior floor space and accommodation for 70 passengers and 23 crew. Closer to home, the UK's form of governmental travel is by chartered aircraft. A practice of carrying British ministers on military flights was recently terminated.
Mr Craig Hoyle, aviation editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, noted Gulfstreams were particularly popular with the governments of smaller countries.
"They can travel long-distance and are cheaper to operate than larger jets. So there is a cost-saving argument with some of them."
While the Gulfstream was seen as "top quality" in the business jet market, he added, "it's not necessary extravagant. I'd call it more of a Jaguar than a Rolls Royce."