Air Corps personnel shoot down 'drones' in EU presidency training exercise

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

Air Corps personnel could shoot down drones with machine guns fired from helicopters, as part of security options considered for Ireland’s upcoming EU presidency.

From July until the end of the year, Ireland will take responsibility for planning and chairing EU Council meetings and negotiations, and representing the council in discussions with the European Parliament and European Commission.

Government figures have faced questions about Ireland’s capability to tackle such threats during the presidency, amid a shift in modern conflicts which has seen increased use of low-cost drones.

The Defence Forces said it has a range of options for dealing with the threats.

Personnel from No 3 Ops Wing – the helicopter unit of the Irish Defence Forces – recently undertook a training exercise in May to test the “counter-drone” capability.

The Defence Forces said the exercise included Air Corps helicopter crews successfully firing upon remotely controlled aircraft.

This includes the Air Corps helicopters armed with general purpose machine guns (GPMGs), which develops No 3 Ops Wing armed air-to-ground capability into the capability to deal with aerial threats.

It is understood the training saw the unit simulate a hostile drone incident where they destroyed several radio-controlled aircraft with the helicopter-mounted machine guns.

The unit also tested “armed maritime interception” with training against fast-moving vessels at sea.

The Defence Forces said: “Training such as this ensures Air Corps crews remain ready to respond to evolving security challenges and provide critical aviation capabilities in support of national security and Ireland’s EU presidency commitments.”