Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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22. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if maritime ship-borne radar will be included in the implementation of the military radar programme due to roll out in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31161/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A key priority for me as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capacity of the Defence Forces is maintained and developed in line with the Government’s decision to move to level of ambition LOA2, as defined by the Commission on the Defence Forces (CODF), by 2028.

The CODF recommended the development of a primary radar capability to ensure that Ireland can maintain a complete ‘Recognised Air Picture’, and that this should be an immediate and top priority.

The CODF advised that the absence of a complete Recognised Air Picture needs to be addressed for various reasons; including the protection of our national sovereignty in the air, for the purposes of civil aviation safety, and maintenance of cooperative relations with neighbouring states who are also impacted by this capability gap.

On foot of this, and following approval of the CODF ‘Detailed Implementation Plan’ in November 2023, a project team comprising senior civil and military personnel was established to progress a Military Radar Programme. This programme of work is ongoing and good progress has been made.

There are three elements to the Military Radar Programme: Land based Long Range Primary Radar; Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) systems, to include a Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) capability; and Maritime (ship-borne) Radar.

When fully delivered, the Recognised Air Picture will incorporate this suite of military radar systems, including ship-borne radar; which will have the capability to detect all aircraft traversing our airspace including any that may be operating with their transponders turned off.

Full delivery of the Programme will be complex; but has been prioritised with a target date of 2028 identified in the Detailed Implementation Plan. That being said, elements of this capability will be rolled out in phases, starting in 2026, towards full delivery by the end of 2028.

My Department has engaged with a number of countries, including all EU Member States, to ascertain the interest in supporting Ireland to deliver this capability.

Based on the responses received, I have recently directed my officials to commence bi-lateral discussions with a small number of countries, with a view to assessing options for delivery and finalising this phase of the Programme before the end of this year. This process is currently ongoing.

Delivering the Military Radar Programme is a critical part of the implementation of the CODF Report. I believe that the aforementioned approach is the best mechanism to ensure effective and efficient delivery of the entire Programme. My priority is to ensure that delivery can commence next year with full operational capacity being delivered by the end of 2028. Given that this process is currently ongoing it is premature to make any further comment or provide any further detail at this time.

I thank the Deputy for his question and I am happy to update the House on the progress of the Programme after the bilateral discussions have concluded.