Ireland spends €53m. on gov't jet lacking Elbit-manufactured system needed to land in fog - report

Ireland's new government jet, a Dassault Falcon 6X costing €53 million, has been acquired without the FalconEye technology, a critical system for landing in foggy or low-visibility conditions. The FalconEye system, co-developed by Dassault Aviation and Israeli defense giant Elbit Systems, merges real-world and synthetic vision to provide pilots with enhanced situational awareness.

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an advanced combined vision system (CVS) developed by Dassault Aviation in partnership with Elbit Systems. Designed for executive and military jets, it merges enhanced real-world video (EVS) with database-driven synthetic terrain mapping (SVS) to provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness in zero-visibility conditions like fog, snow, or darkness.

The Irish Defense Department has stated that the new aircraft has "no current limits" on its operational capability. However, former Irish Air Corps pilot Kevin Phipps was cited by The Journal as saying the FalconEye provides "the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport."

The acquisition raises questions given Taoiseach Micheal Martin's 2024 statement that Ireland would not purchase equipment featuring Israeli-made products. The Journal reported that while four IAC helicopters were delivered with Elbit co-developed flight systems because the craft could not be built without them, and a maritime patrol craft included an Israeli-made radar, the FalconEye on the new jet appears to be a non-essential component that could have been included.

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no current limits

The jet, delivered in December 2025, replaces the government's Lear Jet and is operated by the Irish Air Corps. It can carry 14 passengers and is primarily used for transporting the Taoiseach and other government ministers.

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the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport