The Irish leader’s jet could allegedly struggle to land in fog after he had its navigation system removed because it was made in Israel.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s €53million (£45m) Dassault Falcon 6X is supposed to be kitted out with a FalconEye system which helps the plane land in inclement conditions.
But the technology is produced by Israeli company Elbit Systems and given that Ireland’s government decided to blacklist defence equipment from the country in 2024, the jet must go without the important feature, the Journal reports.
Former Irish Air Corps pilot Kevin Phipps said that the system provided ‘the ability to land in fog when other aircraft would have to divert to another airport’.
It was discovered that the Irish government would need to enter a written agreement with Elbit in order to have the equipment fitted – and this was deemed a step too far for procurement officials in the country.
Dublin’s department of defence insisted the plane possessed ‘no current limits’ on its operational capabilities.
The ban on technology from the Middle Eastern country did not stop Ireland’s four brand new air corps helicopters being fitted with Elbit flight systems, which are essential to get them off the ground.
Alex Gandler, spokesman for the Israeli embassy in the UK, said on X: ‘The incompetence and ideological fervour run deep.
Irish leader Micheal Martin’s jet could allegedly struggle to land in fog after he had its navigation system removed because it was made in Israel
The taoiseach’s Dassault Falcon 6X must go without the FalconEye system which helps the plane land in inclement conditions (Stock Photo)
‘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 the Lear jet.
The Irish air corps-operated plane can hold 14 passengers and is mainly used to transport the taoiseach and other ministers.
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’.
This information is relayed to a computer on the plane and appears on the cockpit display as the pilot attempts to land.
The Daily Mail has approached the taoiseach’s office and the Irish Ministry of Defence for comment.
Israeli company Elbit has been targeted by pro-Palestine protesters across the world including in the UK.
The business is the main manufacturer of the Israeli military’s land-based equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Four Palestine Action protesters who smashed their way into an Elbit factory in Bristol carried out ‘an act of terrorism’, a judge ruled in June as he jailed the quartet.
The court heard the factory was targeted due to its weapons and technology being used in Gaza.
But the wanton violence caused £1.2m worth of damage, left a police officer with a fractured back, and saw the Government subsequently define Palestine Action as a banned organisation.
Ireland has taken a hardline on Israel in recent years and banned Itamar Ben-Gvir, the country’s security minister, as well as Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, from entering.
