Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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278. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence for an update on his plans to replace the Mowag Piranha and RG32M; the number of armoured vehicles the Defence Forces require following the recommendation of the Defence Forces Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29593/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained and developed. This is to enable the Defence Forces to carry out the roles assigned by Government. Equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered in the context of the established capability development and Equipment Development Planning (EDP) processes.

The Defence Forces operate a fleet of 80 MOWAG Piranha III Armoured Vehicles, providing essential force protection to personnel serving overseas. The fleet is comprised of 53 Infantry Armoured People Carriers, 18 Cavalry Close Reconnaissance Vehicles, 6 Cavalry Medium Reconnaissance Vehicles and 3 Ambulance Variant Vehicles. The vehicles came into service in three phases: in 2002 (40 vehicles), 2004 (25 vehicles) and 2007 (15 vehicles). In recent years there has been significant investment in the armoured fleet of vehicles with the enhancement of force protection and mobility with the mid-life refit of the MOWAG Piranha III vehicles project nearing completion. To date 74 of the 80 vehicles have completed the Midlife Upgrade Programme and have returned to service. The final six vehicles are expected to complete the programme later this year. This programme will ensure the viability of the fleet beyond 2030.

The Defence Forces fleet of 27 Light Tactical Armoured Vehicles, the RG32M, has been in service since 2010. These vehicles are now approaching end of life and are due for replacement.

Following the publication of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces in 2022, the Government approved a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Defence Forces’ capability equivalent to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2). This will entail funding increases to reach a Defence budget of approximately €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028 through the annual Estimates.

This level of capital funding will allow a phased planned programme of sustained equipment and infrastructural development across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service as identified and prioritised in the Defence White Paper and the Report of the Commission, while building on the significant investment programme over recent years.

A key recommendation of the Commission on the Defence Forces which has been accepted in principle is the “replacement of the existing APCs with a larger and enhanced fleet equipped with sufficient firepower for future overseas missions, and with ‘level 4’ armour across armour platforms where required”.

The Detailed Implementation Plan published in November 2023 builds on the progress made to date and sets out the planned timeline for the Armoured Fleet replacement project up to 2028.

A joint civil / military project team are continuing their work on this programme in line with the Public Spending Code Infrastructure Guidelines. The programme is currently in the process of identifying the needs and requirements of the future armoured fleet as part of the capability development planning process. This process is ongoing and no decisions have been made in terms of the scale of the enhanced fleet.