List of aircraft of the Irish Air Corps explained

This list identifies the military aircraft which are currently being operated or have formerly been operated by the Irish Air Corps.

Active Irish military aircraft

Military aircraft currently in active service with the Irish Air Corps are as follows:

Retired Irish military aircraft

A few examples of former Air Corps aircraft are retained in the Air Corps Museum in Baldonnel. These include an Avro Anson, An Alouette III and a Fouga Magister. A De Havilland Vampire and a Miles Magister are on display in the National Museum in Collins Barracks (Dublin).^[1]

Military aircraft which have been withdrawn from service with the Irish Air Corps include the following:

Fighter and attack aircraft

• Bristol F.2B Fighter – 8× 1922–1935
• Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard – 4× 1922–1929
• RAE S.E.5a – 1× 1922 (destroyed by the IRA during Civil War)
• Bristol F.2B Fighter Mk II – 8× 1925–1935
• Gloster Gladiator I – 4× 1938–1944 (1× crashed 1938, 1× crashed 1944, 2× retired 1943, 12 more ordered but not delivered during The Emergency)^[2]
• Hawker Hurricane I – 12× 1940–1946 (1× RAF crash-landed in Ireland 1940 and repaired by Air Corps, 11× delivered 1943)
• Hawker Hurricane IIa – 1× 1941–1943 (RAF force-landed in Ireland)
• Hawker Hurricane IIb – 1× 1941–1943 (RAF crash-landed in Ireland)
• Hawker Hurricane IIc – 6× 1945–1947
• Supermarine V.S. 506 Seafire LF.III – 12× 1947–1955

Bombers

• De Havilland DH.9 – 6×
• Fairey Battle TT.I – 1x Irish Air Corps interned 1 ex-RAF target tug in 1942. It was in use as a target tug from 1944 to 1946.
• Hawker Hind and Hind Trainer
• Lockheed Hudson I (also used for maritime patrol duties)

Reconnaissance and patrol aircraft

• CASA CN-235M-100 – 2x 1994-2023
• Cessna FR172H – 8× FR172H, 1× FR172K 1972-2019
  • Fairey IIIF Mk II Supermarine V.S. 236 Walrus I – 3× from 1939

Transport and liaison aircraft

• Avro 652A Anson I and C19
• Avro 626 Prefect (also served as a navigation trainer)
• Hawker Siddeley HS.125-600B and -700B
• Beechcraft Super King Air 200T - 3x
• De Havilland DH.84 Dragon 2
• De Havilland DH.104 Dove Mk 4, Mk 5, Mk 7, and Mk 8A
• Grumman G1159A Gulfstream III – 1x (leased)
• Gulfstream IV – 1x ^[3]
• Hawker Hector
  • Martinsyde Type A Mk II Vickers Type 193 Vespa IV and Type 208 Vespa V
• Westland Lysander II – x6

Trainer aircraft

• Avro 504K – 6× 1922–1932
• Avro 621 Tutor^[4]
• Avro 631 Cadet (also used for coastal patrol duties)
• Avro 636
• De Havilland DH.60 Cirrus I Moth
• De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.20 and T.22A
• De Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.55^[5] – 6× 1956–1976
• Fouga CM-170-2 Super Magister – 6× 1975–1999^[5]
• Hunting Percival Provost T.51 and T.53
• Miles M.14A Magister
• Miles M.25 Martinet TT.I
• Miles M.9A Master I and M.19 Master II
• SIAI-Marchetti SF-260D and SF-260WE Warrior – 10x 1977-
• Supermarine V.S. 509 Spitfire T.9 – 6× 1951–1961

Helicopters

• Aérospatiale Alouette III – 8x 1963-2007. Replaced by AW139s^{[6] [7]}
• Aérospatiale SA330J Puma – 1x leased from Aérospatiale for 2 years during the early 1980s^{[8] [9]}
• Aérospatiale SA342L Gazelle – 2x 1980-2005.^[10]
• Aérospatiale SA365Fi Dauphin II – 5x 1986-2006
• Sikorsky S-61N – 1x Previously leased and operated by IAC for Search & Rescue/Coast Guard.^[11] Subsequently, returned to CHC Ireland who operated it in a similar capacity for the IRCG.
• Eurocopter Twin Squirrel AS355N – 1x 1997-2008 Operated by IAC for Garda Air Support Unit until replaced by second EC135T in January 2008.^[12]

References

Sources

• Book: Byrne, Liam . 1980 . History of Aviation in Ireland . Blackwater Press . 9780905471105 .
• Morgan. Eric B.. Burnet. Charles. amp . Walrus... Amphibious Angel of Mercy. Air Enthusiast . December 1981 – March 1982 . 17 . 13–25 . 0143-5450.
• Book: O'Malley, Michael C . 2010 . Military Aviation in Ireland, 1921-45 . University College Dublin Press . 9781906359485 .
• Book: MacCarron, Donal . 2012 . The Irish Defence Forces since 1922 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 9781780963914 .
• Book: McIvor, Aidan . 1994 . A History of the Irish Naval Service . Irish Academic Press . 9780716525233 .

Notes and References

1. Museum Eye – Soldiers and chiefs, the Irish at war – National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks, Dublin. History Ireland . 1 . January 2007 . 15 . Reviews . Tony Canavan .
2. Web site: Irish Army Air Corps use of the Gloster Gladiator during the Second World War . 20 December 2017 . Håkan Gustavsson .
3. Web site: Government jet sold to US company . RTE. 30 March 2015 . 30 March 2015.
4. Web site: Military Archives – Image Database – IE/MA/ACPS/GPN/001 – Glass plate negatives of a ground image of an Avro 621 . Defence Forces . MilitaryArchives.ie . 6 January 2018.
5. Web site: Air Corps Museum Collection (1918-2004). Irish Military Archives. 8 August 2024.
6. Web site: Alouettes set for final missions . Irish Times . 28 July 2007 . 20 December 2017 .
7. Web site: New Wings for the Irish Air Corps . Air-Scene UK . May 2008 . 20 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230316/http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/hangar/2008/475iac/iac.htm . 3 March 2016 . dead .
8. Web site: Up, up and away . . . why our Air Corps are getting plenty of lift . Independent News & Media . 4 July 2000 . 6 January 2018 .
9. Web site: N86-1981- Air Corp Helicopters - Air Corps Takes Delivery Of Puma Helicoptor - July 1981 . Irish Photo Archive . 6 January 2018 .
10. Web site: Gazelle Retired . Irish Defence Forces . An Cosantóir – Defence Forces Magazine . March 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221013115849/https://www.dfmagazine.ie/dfmag_pdfs/2000_2009/Vol_66_2006/02_Mar/Vol_66_No_2_Mar_2006.pdf . 13 October 2022 . On December 31st 2005 the last flight of Air Corps Gazelle 241 over Casement Aerodrome marked the end of 25 years of service .
11. Web site: Air Corps withdrawn from rescue work . Irish Times . irishtimes.com . 11 October 2004 . 10 November 2020 . [T]he Government is formally withdrawing the Air Corps from all helicopter search-and-rescue today [..] and will be relieved by the contract company CHC Helicopters in a week's time [..] The Sikorsky S-61 helicopter leased for the Air Corps in Sligo was returned several weeks ago .
12. Web site: Second Garda helicopter takes to air . Irish Times . 15 January 2008 . 20 December 2017 .