Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Defence the new major military equipment which will be acquired by the Defence Forces in 2005; the estimated costs and purposes of these investments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1527/05]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces will be a key focus for me as Minister for Defence in 2005. I am aware that significant investment has taken place in recent years and I will continue the good work in that regard.

The unprecedented level of expenditure on equipment for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service was made possible by the Government's decision that pay savings arising from the reorganisation of the Defence Forces set out in the White Paper of 2000, with proceeds from thesale of surplus properties, would be reallocated for investment in modern facilities and equipment.

Investment in new equipment for the Army, Air Corps and the Naval Service is provided for under various subheads of the Defence Vote relating to defensive equipment, mechanical transport, aircraft, ships and naval stores, engineering, communications and information technology equipment, etc. The total expenditure for 2004 for equipment under those subheads was in the region of €100 million and a similar provision is available this year.

The acquisition of light tactical armoured vehicles, LTAVs, for the Defence Forces has been identified as a key priority by the military authorities for 2005. The LTAVs will complement the work of the 65 Mowag armoured personnel carriers delivered in the past few years at a cost of some €84 million. The final stage payments for the APCs in the sum of €9.6 million will be paid in 2005. Preparations are in hand for a tender competition for the acquisition of the LTAVs and I would expect that the competition will commence in the near future. The precise number of vehicles to be acquired will be confirmed at a later date. The cost of the LTAV programme will only be evident after the tender competition is held.

A contract for the acquisition of the Javelin missile system from Raytheon-Lockheed Martin in the USA at a cost of some €13 million inclusive of VAT will be fulfilled this year with the main delivery due this summer. The purpose of this acquisition is to give Defence Forces personnel an effective, anti-armour capability while on peace support operations. The system will replace the Milan system.

On the general transport side, the focus will be on the purchase of three-quarter tonne trucks, trailers for the DROPS vehicles, the purchase of a number of EOD trucks and some road ambulances for the Army Medical Corps.

There have been ongoing programmes of acquisitions of both nuclear biological chemical, NBC, equipment and night vision equipment, NVE, in recent years and these programmes will continue in 2005 to meet the ongoing requirements of the Defence Forces. This will include the purchase of a further 1,000 NBC suits this year.

The delivery of eight Pilatus training aircraft for the Air Corps at a total cost of €60 million has been completed. The final stage payment for the aircraft in the sum of €7 million will be paid this year. The focus for the Air Corps is now on the two contracts for helicopters for a total value of over €61 million, which I had the pleasure of signing recently.

Four utility AB139 helicopters are being acquired from the Bell Agusta Aerospace Company at a cost of €48.4 million, inclusive of VAT. The four helicopters will be built at the Agusta facility near Milan, Italy. Two AB139s will be delivered in 2006 and the other two will be delivered in 2007.

Two light utility EC-135 helicopters are being acquired from Eurocopter S.A.S. at a cost of €12.8 million, inclusive of VAT. The two helicopters will be built at Eurocopter's facility in Donauworth, Germany. Both EC-135s are scheduled to be delivered in the latter part of this year. The Naval Service has also benefited from the investment programme in recent years with the acquisition of two new modern ships, LE Roisin and LE Niamh, at a cost of some €25 million each.