Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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Late last year, it was announced that the State would be purchasing four German-built multi-use Airbus helicopters for use by the Defence Forces at a cost of €92 million. In January, The Journal reported that these helicopters contained flight system components manufactured by the Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems, despite the Government stating at an earlier stage that its position was to avoid purchasing Israeli military technology.

These helicopters are built with the capability to fire Israeli-built Spike anti-tank missiles. In response to parliamentary questions about these missiles, the Department informed me that these helicopters are future-proofed to allow the integration of guided missiles if the State chooses to have that capability. The Department also said that the State does not currently, and that is the key word, intend to purchase Israeli military technology. However, given that the State is already acquiring Israeli military technology through the avionics systems of these helicopters, I cannot help but doubt the strength of this commitment. In particular, the word “currently” suggests to me that the Government could, at its convenience, decide to buy Israeli weapons if it saw a good deal or if it thought it could get away with doing so because the public was not going to make a big fuss about it.

I would be gravely concerned if a single cent from Ireland went to the Israeli state, much less the Israeli armaments industry.

While Israel is in the middle of committing a genocide against the civilian population of Gaza, the idea that Ireland would be actively supporting the Israeli armaments industry, or even leaving the door open to purchasing Israeli weapons in the future, is completely unacceptable. Israel has been killing thousands of men, women and children across Gaza and the West Bank, committing crimes on an unimaginable scale. The Irish Government must do everything it can to help the Palestinian people and to build political and economic pressure on Israel to stop the genocide. The absolute most basic and very obvious step in this regard is simply not to buy Israeli weapons or military technology. We need an ironclad commitment from the Government that we will not have any links - commercial, scientific or otherwise – to the Israeli military industrial machine as long as the genocide of the Palestinians continues.

The Minister of State needs to clarify this issue and commit, without reservation, that Ireland will not continue to be complicit in what the Israeli war machine is doing. That will not be done by purchasing Israeli arms as long as the State of Israel continues to deny the Palestinian people their human rights and dignity.

Additionally, in relation to these specific helicopters, I would appreciate if the Minister of State would confirm whether any of the components were manufactured or designed in Israel or by Israeli companies. If they were, why was the State's procurement process not adequately followed?

There is clearly something amiss here. Ireland has been complicit in the genocide in Gaza. It has facilitated the flights of military equipment through Irish airspace.Now, the Government is talking about the occupied territories Bill as if it is the same Bill that Senator Black proposed. It will be so watered down that it will not look anything like that occupied territories Bill.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I am responding on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, who unfortunately cannot be present. I welcome the opportunity to respond on this matter and I thank Senator Andrews for his question.

In December 2024, the Department of Defence signed a contract for the delivery of four German-made Airbus H145M helicopters, which will provide a modern light utility helicopter capability for the Air Corps. They will replace the present aging fleet of two EC135s, which have reached the end of their useful service life. The value of the contract is €91.7 million, excluding VAT, and it is anticipated that delivery of the helicopters will begin on a phased basis in quarter 1 of 2027.

The Airbus H145Ms represent a vast modernisation and expansion of light utility helicopter capability for the Air Corps over the present ageing fleet. Their multirole capability means that the H145Ms will be equipped to satisfy a wide range of missions, including maritime security missions, utility missions, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, ISTAR, missions, and light attack missions. As well as enhancing the Defence Forces' current ISTAR capabilities, the aircraft will also provide enhanced electro-optical and thermal imagery features not available in the current rotary wing fleet. They will greatly improve the operational support provided to special operations forces - the Army Ranger wing - as well as provide broader support and utility across the Defence Forces' training and operations.

While the Department does not comment on systems fitted to Air Corps aircraft for operational reasons, the H145M rotary wing aircraft comes fitted with the Helionix avionics suite, an avionics solution that is proprietary to Airbus. These systems are fitted on all modern civil and military aircraft to assist pilots to fly the aircraft safely and are not military specific. No missile capability is included in the contract to procure the four aircraft. No consideration is being given to such capability at the present time. However, the aircraft are future-proofed and capable of being upgraded to becoming missile-capable. Future missile capability is one of the elements considered within the enhanced Defence Forces capability level of ambition 3, LOA 3, as defined in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. Any future upgrade of equipment to achieve LOA 3 capability will be subject to a comprehensive review and a future Government decision.

Specifically on the procurement of Israeli military technology, I can confirm that there is no intention to purchase military equipment from Israel. Since the International Court of Justice advisory opinion of 19 July 2024, wherein the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, concluded that "the State of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful" and that "the State of Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible", the Department has included provisions in its tender documentation regarding the right to reject offers from third countries, which include Israel, on defence and security grounds in line with the Commission's guidance on the procurement of defensive equipment under Directive 2009/18/EU.

I will address further issues in my closing remarks.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. The first half of that reply was exactly the same as the reply I got to a parliamentary question. There was nothing new in it. The Minister of State did not confirm whether the helicopters purchased would have Israeli components in them. I did not hear that. The whole thing is very vague. It is couched in language that is open, yet it is not clear to me. The Minister of State might follow that up. It is not surprising. The Government is saying one thing about how horrifying the situation is, but on the other hand it has consistently been complicit in the genocide. It seems like this is a replica of that.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The specific line in the reply is "there is no intention to purchase military equipment from Israel". This is an issue the Senator has been passionate about, not just for the past 18 or 20 months, but for a long time. Like him, we are horrified by what has happened. We have been to the forefront in the European Union in condemning what is happening in Israel for quite some time, and we are quite shocked by it. Where international politics are concerned, it is something we take very seriously. There is no intention to collaborate with Israel in what is happening, good, bad or indifferent. We have always been to the forefront in terms of the Israeli people as well, as has the Senator's family going back generations. For my party, going back to the late Brian Lenihan Snr., it is something we are very serious about. We are all horrified with what is happening across the region at the moment. "Horrified" does not even describe the revulsion that we feel on it.

I take the points the Senator has made on the issue and I will certainly endeavour to get more up-to-date information for him.