Mr. Rossa Mulcahy:

I will answer in slightly different way. If I understood the Deputy's question correctly, he asked what types of capability the Defence Forces, including the air force of the future, needed to deliver on behalf of the State. The capabilities we need are strategic reach, as the Secretary General mentioned, and transport lift, which means fixed-wing and rotary-wing or helicopter capacity. We need an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability. In the future, we may need some form of more offensive capabilities. That is the broad spectrum of what we need to do. We also need training aircraft, both rotary-wing and fixed-wing. As the Secretary General mentioned, the future capability development plan will determine the specific platforms we need. We know some of those already. We have new maritime patrol aircraft, which are very well equipped in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance domain. They are also able to be used in a dual role as transport aircraft. Our current helicopter fleet is coming to the end of its life. We are purchasing four H145 helicopters to replace that fleet. In the future, a super-medium-type helicopter is in the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. That would add a different dimension, both for our Army and special forces, in the future to allow that interoperability as a joint force.