Irish Minister of Justice Simon Harris TD has announced the approval of a €21.5 million budget to boost the capabilities of the air support unit (GASU) of the An Garda Síochána (Irish National Police).
€12.5m of the spend is destined to increase the Garda helicopter fleet, presently two H135s, adding a third larger aircraft capable of carrying emergency and armed response teams to trouble spots. At present, the Gardai has to rely on the use of aircraft from the Irish Army’s Air Corps for that lift capability.
While in his announcement the minister said that the new helicopter would be delivered and operational this year, he did not reveal what type(s) were under consideration, although it has been widely reported in the Irish media that the new helicopter will be an Airbus H145.
