We can’t afford to pay €70m for fighter jets

With reference to Sean O’Riordan’s articles on the Irish Air Corps, it is ludicrous to suggest that this impoverished country should find €70m for a fighter plane, and we would need three planes to keep two maintained in flight-readiness.

Costs for engineer training, for tooling-up, for maintenance, pilot training, fuel, etc, would be approximately three times the initial aircraft purchase price, spread over five years.

That would be an outlay of €610m. All of this to check up on ‘illegal’ over-flights by NATO, and US and British military aircraft. I am sure we could find a way to impose ‘fines’.

Mr. O’Riordan quotes Tom Clonan who, like Fox News, and without a scintilla of evidence, decided that the Russians shot down Malaysia commercial flight MH17, last July, over Ukraine. The Russians have denied being the perpetrator, unlike the US in the shooting-down of Iran civilian flight 655 in July, 1988.

That was not an act by a scruffy rebel on contested soil, but by US Navy Capt Will Rogers, in command of USS Vincennes, in Iranian territorial waters. In recognition for his services, notwithstanding his crime, Rogers was awarded the Legion of Merit. When asked to comment, George Bush Senior, said: “I will never apologise for the USA ever. I dont care what the facts are”.

Yes, we need protection. More so, I think, from our ‘friends’.

Daniel Teegan

Pairc na Fana

Union Hall

Co Cork