Ireland has acquired a new government jet valued at approximately €53 million (£45 million), but the aircraft was purchased without a key navigation system co-developed by Dassault Aviation and Israeli defense company Elbit Systems. The jet, a Dassault Falcon 6X delivered in December 2025, primarily serves to transport the Irish Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, as well as other government ministers and officials.
The omitted technology, known as FalconEye, is an advanced combined vision system designed to enhance pilot situational awareness in poor visibility conditions such as fog, snow, or darkness. Installed in the aircraft’s nose, FalconEye integrates real-world video with synthetic terrain mapping to assist pilots during approaches and landings under limited visibility. Former Irish Air Corps pilot Kevin Phipps noted the system “provides the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport.”
Ireland’s decision to exclude FalconEye from the Falcon 6X stems from a 2024 government policy that blacklisted all Israeli defense technology following the conflict in Gaza. At the time, Micheál Martin, then serving as foreign minister, declared Ireland would not purchase equipment incorporating Israeli-made products. As a result, procurement officials avoided entering a formal agreement with Elbit Systems required to include the FalconEye system.
Despite this, other Irish Air Corps aircraft—specifically four new helicopters and a maritime patrol craft—have been delivered with Israeli-made systems co-developed by Elbit, as those platforms cannot operate without them. This contrast highlights the difficulties posed by Ireland’s ban on Israeli defense technology, particularly in airframes that depend on such components for operational capability.
Dublin’s Department of Defence has maintained that the Falcon 6X has “no current limits” on its operational capacity despite the lack of the FalconEye system. The aircraft can carry up to 14 passengers and replaced the previous government Learjet.
The Israeli embassy in the United Kingdom responded critically to Ireland’s exclusion of the system, with a spokesman attributing potential landing difficulties in fog to "anti-Israel brain rot." Eylon Levy, former Israeli government spokesman, dismissed the situation as resembling a “typical Irish joke.” Meanwhile, the FalconEye technology is described by Dassault Aviation as providing “unprecedented all-weather situational awareness, day or night, in any phase of flight.”
The latest developments reflect the complex intersection of political decisions and operational requirements facing Ireland’s Defense Department in aircraft procurement, balancing ethical policy stances with technical aviation needs.