Thales will supply five Ground Master 400 Alpha (GM400α) long-range radars to Ireland, confirming the system behind the first primary radar network the Irish military will operate. Deliveries begin in 2027, with full capability scheduled for the end of 2028.

Ireland's Department of Defense placed the order through the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), the procurement agency of the French Ministry for the Armed Forces. The government-to-government route, with France selected as partner in December 2025, follows Ireland's commitment in 2022 to acquire a primary radar capability.

Minister for Defense Helen McEntee said the order keeps Ireland on track to build a complete recognized air picture of its airspace by the end of 2028, a step she said would "very significantly enhance Ireland's ability to protect our skies".

The technical distinction matters. Secondary surveillance radar depends on replies from an aircraft's transponder. Primary radar detects aircraft from reflected signals, which means it can track contacts flying with transponders switched off — the gap that has left Irish airspace partially blind to non-cooperative traffic.

A requirement four years in the making

The Commission on the Defence Forces flagged primary radar as an immediate priority for the Irish Air Corps in its February 2022 report. Ireland committed to the capability later that year.

The acquisition addresses a structural anomaly in European air defense. Ireland has operated no combat jets since 1998 and has examined buying its first fighters in more than 50 years. Until now, Dublin has relied on the UK's Royal Air Force for air policing, and — according to a UK government written answer of January 12, 2026 — RAF aircraft enter Irish airspace for operational purposes only with Dublin's express prior agreement.

The radar order does not close that gap on its own. Detection without an interceptor response leaves the recognized air picture as an information asset rather than an enforcement one, and the fighter question remains open.

What the GM400α brings

Thales describes the GM400α as a 3D air surveillance radar capable of detecting targets from slow-moving drones to fighter aircraft at ranges up to 515 kilometers (approximately 320 miles), with a six-second update rate.

The system is packaged in a single 20-foot container, allowing rapid redeployment. It belongs to the Ground Master 400 family, which has secured other recent customers: Thales has delivered the first two GM403 radars to Indonesia under a 13-unit deal.

Thales' performance figures are manufacturer claims pending operational validation in Irish service. The 2027–2028 delivery timeline is the metric to watch against the department's end-2028 target for a complete recognized air picture.

One element of a wider programme

The long-range radars form one of three elements of Ireland's Military Radar Programme. The others are ground-based air defense, including a counter-drone capability, and ship-borne maritime radar.

The department cited accelerated delivery of counter-drone systems ahead of Ireland's presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on July 1, 2026. During that six-month term, Royal Navy and French warships deployed to provide air defense cover for EU summit meetings — an illustration of the capability Ireland currently borrows rather than owns.

If the DGA-mediated order holds to schedule, Ireland will enter 2029 with independent primary surveillance of its airspace for the first time, and the debate over what — if anything — it does with that picture will sharpen.