Long-range radar deal puts Ireland on course to shrink capability gap

Ireland is moving ahead with the acquisition of four Thales-produced GM400 radars (Thales)

BELFAST — French manufacturer Thales said today that Ireland’s procurement of five company-made Ground Master long and shorter range radars, will “be instrumental” to Dublin developing what it calls a “first fully Recognised Air Picture.”

The firm’s assessment, laid out in a company statement , comes weeks after the Irish Department of Defence announced the order with France’s military procurement arm, Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA).

The militarily neutral nation is acquiring four Ground Master 400 Alpha (GM400a) sensors and one Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200 MM/A) system, as it looks to build out a primary radar capability — a top priority listed by the 2022 Commission on Defence Forces report. The document, which drew on national defense force limitations, made a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening long term planning and modernization.

One submission to the Commission stated [ PDF ] that “[c]ontinued incursions by Russian aircraft into Irish controlled airspace highlights the importance of primary radar and the dangers of not having such equipment. The lack of such radar not only highlights a lack of capabilities within the AC/DF [Air Corps/Defence Forces] but also presents a major danger to civilian aircraft.”

In basic terms, this capability gap means that Ireland is currently unable to identify or track any aircraft that does not emit a transponder.

“The selection of Thales to enhance Ireland’s sovereign and defence capabilities in a rapidly changing and complex security landscape, underscores our proven ability to deliver advanced air surveillance capabilities,” Martin Soegaard, Thales country director for Denmark, Ireland, Iceland and Baltics said in the statement. “The GM400α and GM200 MM/A, fitted with our cutting-edge sensor technology, will be instrumental in providing the nation’s first fully Recognised Air Picture, thereby supporting Ireland’s national awareness, security and sovereignty.”

The first Irish Ground Master deliveries are scheduled for next year, according to the statement, and Dublin expects to meet a full capability milestone for the new radars before the end of 2028.

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Though authorities have not shared the cost of the acquisition, local media have reported an estimated figure of €500 million ($563 million).

Profiling the GM400a, Thales added it can fit in a 20-ft ISO container, registers an update rate of six seconds and offers “exceptional tracking capability, even in dense clutter.”

The firm described the GM200 MM/A as “field-proven” and capable of “simultaneously” detecting and tracking “low to high-altitude targets.” An individual 20-ft shelter houses the radar, mast and power generator unit.

Dublin said last year that a “record” €1.5 billion defense budget would allow “significant progress” to be made on the radar project alongside other big ticket acquisitions including Airbus-produced H145 light utility helicopters.

爱尔兰正在推进采购四部泰雷兹公司生产的GM400雷达（泰雷兹公司）。

贝尔法斯特——法国制造商泰雷兹今天表示，爱尔兰采购五部该公司制造的地面大师远程和短程雷达，将“对”都柏林发展其所谓的“第一个完全可识别的空中态势图”起到“关键作用”。

该公司在一份公司声明中阐述了其评估结果。此前几周，爱尔兰国防部宣布向法国军备总局（DGA）订购该项物资。

这个军事中立国家正在采购四套地面主控400 Alpha（GM400a）传感器和一套地面主控200多任务一体化（GM200 MM/A）系统，旨在构建其主要雷达能力——这是2022年国防力量委员会报告中列出的首要任务。该报告基于各国国防力量的局限性，提出了一系列旨在加强长期规划和现代化建设的建议。

提交给委员会的一份文件指出[PDF]：“俄罗斯飞机持续入侵爱尔兰管制空域，凸显了主雷达的重要性以及缺乏此类设备的危险性。缺乏此类雷达不仅暴露出爱尔兰空军/国防军能力不足，而且对民用飞机构成重大威胁。”

简而言之，这种能力差距意味着爱尔兰目前无法识别或跟踪任何不发射应答器的飞机。

泰雷兹公司丹麦、爱尔兰、冰岛和波罗的海地区国家总监马丁·索加德在声明中表示：“在瞬息万变且错综复杂的安全形势下，爱尔兰选择泰雷兹来增强其主权和国防能力，凸显了我们交付先进空中监视能力的成熟实力。配备我们尖端传感器技术的GM400α和GM200 MM/A将对提供爱尔兰首个完全可识别的空中态势图至关重要，从而支持爱尔兰的国家态势感知、安全和主权。”

声明称，首批爱尔兰地面主控雷达计划于明年交付，都柏林方面预计在 2028 年底前实现新型雷达的全面功能里程碑。

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除了对外销售，拉斐尔的模式还实现了技术转让和本地工程，并为北约合作伙伴提供了一个模板。

尽管官方尚未公布收购成本，但当地媒体报道称估计金额为 5 亿欧元（5.63 亿美元）。

泰雷兹在介绍 GM400a 时补充说，它可以装入 20 英尺的 ISO 集装箱，更新速率为 6 秒，并且“即使在密集杂乱的环境中也能提供卓越的跟踪能力”。

该公司称GM200 MM/A雷达“经实战验证”，能够“同时”探测和跟踪“低空到高空目标”。一个独立的20英尺（约6米）高的机舱内装有雷达、桅杆和发电机组。

都柏林去年表示，创纪录的 15 亿欧元国防预算将使雷达项目取得“重大进展”，同时还将进行其他重大采购，包括空客生产的 H145 轻型通用直升机。