Defending the Irish airspace

[GoneToTheCanner]

Reluctantly I have to ask.
If an aircraft is carrying a large consignment of illegal substances aboard, and they file a flight plan saying 1 aircraft plus pilot repositioning from AGP to EIWT, who is going to check the bonafides on arrival at Weston? If it decides to divert to Abbeyshrule who will know until long after the event?

Because a diversion from a timed arrival will trigger a SAR warning or follow up Gardai or Customs. There have been several deliberate evasions in the history of our airports and the Gardai have had to intervene and on one occasion, the divertees were met by a Dauphin. While a lot of our smaller airfields are not under the direct State eyeball, people do keep an eye out and the light aviation community is a small one.

[DeV]

If its transponder is on; immediately, but if goes off; then long enough to cause a problem.

https://www.airnav.ie/getattachment/fd220a85-a1f3-4c2a-8344-15b5df95238a/EI_ENR_1_6_EN.pdf?lang=en-IE

page 4

[Turkey]

Reluctantly I have to ask.
If an aircraft is carrying a large consignment of illegal substances aboard, and they file a flight plan saying 1 aircraft plus pilot repositioning from AGP to EIWT, who is going to check the bonafides on arrival at Weston? If it decides to divert to Abbeyshrule who will know until long after the event?

If its transponder is on; immediately, but if goes off; then long enough to cause a problem.

[na grohmiti]

Reluctantly I have to ask.
If an aircraft is carrying a large consignment of illegal substances aboard, and they file a flight plan saying 1 aircraft plus pilot repositioning from AGP to EIWT, who is going to check the bonafides on arrival at Weston? If it decides to divert to Abbeyshrule who will know until long after the event?

[GoneToTheCanner]

For a pilot to file a flight plan in EASA airspace, all he needs to do is fill in one form on a phone or computer and it will be activated by the pilot when he contacts his first air traffic control tower. Every ATC agency that he might contact automatically gets a copy. If he attempts to fly from the UK to Ireland without one, or with his transponder off, he will be picked up. Current Irish civil radar is more than good enough for that. If he originated from a European airfield, he crossed several Borders and ATC boundaries anyway, so his passage would have been noted. I suspect this guy was identified as dodgy before he left the ground and that the overall plan was that he be nabbed in Ireland. Even a simple Cessna can carry a great deal of concealed drugs and Ill bet they were quite willing to abandon the aircraft to make sure the stuff gets in. The possibilty that he could have deliberately thrown contraband out of the aircraft to be collected also exists.

[DeV]

Yes, I'm sure the Pilot in charge filed a flight plan that stated his cargo was €8 Million worth of Heroin.

Description of cargo (if any) isn’t a requirement

https://www.airnav.ie/getattachment/4f25912d-7d57-43db-ba26-192396a1ee39/EI_ENR_1_10_EN-(1).pdf?lang=en-IE

Weston Airport don’t seem to request it either

Not filing a flight plan would be highlighting yourself to the authorities and Weston (assuming they weren’t in on it)

[CTU]

Well if it is flying into Weston it’s more than likely passed through at least 1 Irish radar’s coverage

as I understand it, it is in Class C Airspace which means ATC clearance is required (from Dublin Airport)

Yes, I'm sure the Pilot in charge filed a flight plan that stated his cargo was €8 Million worth of Heroin.

[Flamingo]

Would even Government know if there was no EAS helicopter, no EOD team available for a call out, no GoH For the President, no AD deployment for a VVIP visit etc?

it is across Government, there are very very few Ministers who are on top of their brief, they will only take notice when they get it in the neck directly from their direct constituents.

But if the Defence Forces are able to cover those roles, nobody will notice (or care) if they are unable to do anything else. You have summarised what is perceived to be the core function of the DF!

[DeV]

Well if it is flying into Weston it’s more than likely passed through at least 1 Irish radar’s coverage

as I understand it, it is in Class C Airspace which means ATC clearance is required (from Dublin Airport)

[na grohmiti]

2nd shipment flown in this year (that we know of).
Any sign of primary radar yet?

[DeV]

€8m worth of heroin seized at Weston

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023...other%20nearby.

[DeV]

Would even Government know if there was no EAS helicopter, no EOD team available for a call out, no GoH For the President, no AD deployment for a VVIP visit etc?

it is across Government, there are very very few Ministers who are on top of their brief, they will only take notice when they get it in the neck directly from their direct constituents.

[expat01]

Moldova has the incentive of Transnistria and Russian interference to make it buy modern radar. They are probably buying other Western materials as well. Our Govt is ignoring the "incentive" of Russian Bears, the threat to our subsea cables, the manpower crisis, the subpar payscales and all the other factors.

In truth, for the past four years my growing certainty is that the government will be blinking at the chief of staff one fine day soon when he informs that there are no longer any operational units, nor the cadre who can train recruits. At which point Micheál Martin ( because that day is soon) will say “but sure there’s still you, what’s the fuss?”
While the department secures funding for a new commission.
Will they go for another mobile - and so part-time and for contingencies - unit like Giraffe or establish a permanent radar site (of course there will be only one radar purchased) somewhere like Shannon? That’s the height of my hopeful speculation.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Indeed. Moldova has a GDP that’s likely rivaled by Limerick, but they will have medium radar while we, I suspect, will have nothing that’s actually operational that isn’t on a ship for many years.

Moldova has the incentive of Transnistria and Russian interference to make it buy modern radar. They are probably buying other Western materials as well. Our Govt is ignoring the "incentive" of Russian Bears, the threat to our subsea cables, the manpower crisis, the subpar payscales and all the other factors.

[expat01]

Indeed. Moldova has a GDP that’s likely rivaled by Limerick, but they will have medium radar while we, I suspect, will have nothing that’s actually operational that isn’t on a ship for many years.