Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin's €53 million (£45m) Dassault Falcon 6X jet may struggle to land in fog because its navigation system was removed over its Israeli origins, according to the Journal.
The jet is supposed to carry a FalconEye system that helps it land in poor weather, but the technology is made by Israeli company Elbit Systems. Ireland's government blacklisted defence equipment from Israel in 2024, and officials would have needed a written agreement with Elbit to have the system fitted, a step procurement officials in Dublin deemed too far.
Former Irish Air Corps pilot Kevin Phipps said the system provided "the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport." Dublin's department of defence insisted the plane has "no current limits" on its operational capabilities.
Helicopters still use Elbit systems
The ban on Israeli technology did not stop Ireland's four new air corps helicopters being fitted with Elbit flight systems, which are essential to getting them off the ground. Alex Gandler, spokesman for the Israeli embassy in the UK, wrote on X: "The incompetence and ideological fervour run deep. An Irish jet can't land in fog because of rabid anti-Israel brain rot."
Before the Falcon 6X was introduced in December 2025, the Irish government used a Lear jet. The air corps-operated Falcon 6X can hold 14 passengers and is mainly used to transport the taoiseach and other ministers.
Dassault built the plane
The Falcon 6X was built by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation, which describes the FalconEye system of cameras and sensors as offering "unprecedented all-weather situational awareness, day or night, in any phase of flight." The information is relayed to a computer on the plane and appears on the cockpit display as the pilot lands.
Elbit and the Bristol protest case
Elbit is the main manufacturer of the Israeli military's land-based equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles, and has been targeted by pro-Palestine protesters worldwide, including in the UK. In June, a judge ruled that four Palestine Action protesters who broke into an Elbit factory in Bristol had carried out an act of terrorism. The court heard the factory was targeted over weapons and technology used in Gaza, and the damage, totalling £1.2 million, left a police officer with a fractured back. The UK government subsequently designated Palestine Action a banned organisation.
Ireland has taken a hardline stance on Israel in recent years, banning Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country.
