Ireland plans to provide Ukraine with air defence radar systems

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris has announced the government's intention to transfer air defence radar systems to Ukraine.

As reported by The Irish Times, Harris confirmed that the Irish government plans to supply Ukraine with some of the outdated air defence radar systems currently in service with the Irish Defence Forces.

"The Ukrainian government had expressed an interest in accessing some legacy equipment that we have in the Irish Defence Forces," he said.

The Irish foreign minister added that the timeline and quantity of equipment Ireland will provide will depend on Kyiv’s response to Dublin’s offer.

"This is something that I think could happen relatively quickly, but like I say, I wouldn’t overstate the significance of it, it’s a small amount of what would be termed legacy [equipment]," he added. 

The Irish Times report that the equipment in question is the Swedish-made Saab Giraffe Mk IV mobile radar system, which has a detection range of up to 50 kilometres.

In September 2024, Ukraine and Ireland signed an agreement on support and cooperation, under which Dublin pledged to provide non-lethal military assistance.

Meanwhile, the EU has put forward a new multi-billion euro initiative for military aid to Ukraine, with details set to be discussed by EU leaders at an extraordinary summit on 6 March.