Ireland's new government jet may face limits in fog after Israeli landing system was left off
Dublin declined to install Elbit Systems' FalconEye on its new Falcon 6X because of its policy against new procurement agreements with Israeli defense companies.
Ireland's new government aircraft was delivered without an advanced landing system manufactured by Israeli defense company Elbit Systems after Dublin opted not to enter into a procurement agreement with the company, according to an investigation published by Irish news outlet The Journal.
The report sheds light on how Ireland's policy of avoiding new purchases of Israeli defense equipment has begun affecting specific military procurement decisions, even when Israeli technology remains embedded in other platforms already on order.
The aircraft at the center of the report is the Irish government's new €53 million ($61 million) Dassault Falcon 6X, which entered service shortly before Christmas last year. The French-built business jet replaced the government's aging Learjet and serves as a multi-purpose Strategic Reach Aircraft for ministerial transport and long-range medical evacuation missions.
According to The Journal, the aircraft was delivered without FalconEye, Dassault's enhanced vision system that is manufactured by Israel's Elbit Systems.
Mounted in the aircraft's nose, FalconEye combines infrared cameras and advanced sensors to provide pilots with enhanced visibility during approaches in poor weather or darkness. Dassault says the system gives crews "unprecedented all-weather situational awareness" and can enable landings in conditions that would otherwise force aircraft to divert.
Former Irish Air Corps pilot Kevin Phipps told The Journal that enhanced vision systems allow pilots to "see at night and through the most inclement weather conditions," adding that the operational advantage is the ability to land in fog when other aircraft might have to divert elsewhere.
The Irish Department of Defence has maintained that the aircraft's operational capability is not limited. In a statement cited by The Journal, the department said "there are no current limits on the operational capability of the aircraft." The same wording was later used in a parliamentary response.
However, multiple sources cited by The Journal said that while the aircraft remains fully operational, the absence of FalconEye reduces the options available to pilots when operating in poor visibility.
According to the report, the omission stemmed not from technical considerations but from procurement policy.
In August 2024, then Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin said Ireland would no longer purchase equipment containing Israeli-manufactured products, a position adopted against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and growing domestic political pressure to curb trade with Israel.
The Journal reports that, unlike other Israeli-made systems already incorporated into military platforms, installing FalconEye would have required the Irish government to sign a direct contractual agreement with Elbit Systems. Procurement officials concluded that such an agreement would conflict with the government's policy, leading them to request that the system be excluded from the aircraft.
