Ireland is "Europe’s weakest link" in air defence cover because our Air Corps is so poorly equipped it cannot defend our airspace against hijackers taking over commercial aircraft or intrusions by foreign military aircraft.

Some of these are really amazing.

ARMED air corps aircraft were scrambled to intercept a helicopter entering Dublin airspace minutes before Queen Elizabeth II landed in the city, the Defence Forces have confirmed.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen paid tribute to the Defence Forces as veteran soldiers and army chiefs celebrated 50 years of peacekeeping missions.