The Minister for Defence is to place an order later today for a replacement aircraft for the Air Corps helicopter which crashed causing the deaths of its four crew members at Tramore beach in Waterford.
Mr Smith is expected to make the order after the funerals today of Sgt Paddy Mooney and Capt Michael Baker.
It has been decided that the Air Corps' search and rescue resources will be immediately reinstated and that the corps will continue its rescue cover for the south-west coast.
The four crew died on the first day of service for the south-west region and their Dauphin helicopter has been replaced temporarily by an older and less capable Alouette helicopter, although this will be soon be replaced by one of the Air Corps' four remaining Dauphin aircraft until the new aircraft arrives from France.
The Department of Defence order for the permanent replacement aircraft will be placed with French manufacturers, Aerospatiale, for another Dauphin similar to the one lost on Tramore beach.
The President, Mrs McAleese, along with Mr Smith and his Government colleague, the Minister for the Marine, Mr Woods, attended the funeral yesterday of Cpl Niall Byrne, from Killiney, Co Dublin.
The funeral mass for Cpl Byrne (24), who was engaged to Ms Teresa Molloy, was said by his cousin, Father Frank Monks, who was to have officiated at Cpl Byrne's wedding next year.
At the funeral service in Our Lady of Good Counsel, Killiney, Father Monks said Cpl Byrne was a unique individual, "loving, serious, single-minded, generous to a fault, religious in his own quiet but convinced way."
Father Monks thanked the President for attending and pointed out that Cpl Byrne had been very pleased to meet her when she visited the Irish UN battalion serving in Lebanon in December 1997 while he was serving there.
After Mass a cortege led by Cpl Byrne's coffin mounted on a gun carriage drove to Shanganagh cemetery for burial. As his coffin was prepared for burial three Air Corps Marchetti training aircraft flew in formation over the cemetery. He was buried with a salute of three volleys from the Air Corps firing party.
The removals of Cpl Byrne's fellow crew members, Sgt Mooney and Capt Baker took place last evening. Capt Baker, pilot of the Dauphin, will be buried from St Aidan's Cathedral, Enniscorthy today. Sgt Mooney's funeral will take place in Stamullen, Co Meath.