UP IN SMOKE
Taxpayers shell out €230k for kits used in air corps displays
MORE than €230,000 of taxpayers’ money has been spent on coloured smoke used for Air Corps planes.
The fancy kits used during displays were purchased by the Department of Defence in 2019 for €192,665, while the coloured dyes cost another €20,000.
And a further €20,000 was spent on travel and subsistence sending Air Corps engineers to a base in Switzerland to learn how to use the specialised machines.
Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy received the information in response to a Parliamentary Question.
She told the Irish Mirror: “While I don’t dispute that some value was achieved in respect of training personnel in the installation of the smoke kits, that type of learning can be passed on within the Air Corps, I would like to see further information, like was the Air Corps contractually obliged to return to the aircraft supplier for the accessories, perhaps a search of the market may have yielded a better price.”
Defence Minister Simon Coveney defended the significant outlay.
He said: “My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, is maintained to the greatest extent possible to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government.
“There is also continuous investment in the upgrading equipment platforms and funding is provided on an ongoing basis for the required maintenance and upgrading of aircraft in the Air Corps fleet.
“Certain purchasing is carried out by the Defence Forces directly under delegation of financial responsibility which permits the Defence Forces to procure a wide range of goods and services directly, and this includes the retrofitting of smoke generation capability.
“In 2015 the Air Corps acquired smoke kits for the PC9M aircraft from the aircraft manufacturer Pilatus.
“The total cost for equipping all seven planes was €192,665, plus the cost of smoke.
“Air Corps technical personnel were trained to install the smoke kits on one aircraft at Pilatus facilities in Switzerland and the technicians subsequently completed the rest of the installations in the Air Corps workshops at Casement Aerodrome.
“Travel and subsistence costs of €2,059 and €17,320 respectively were incurred in respect of this training.”