The Government is planning to fast-track the acquisition of anti-drone defences at Baldonnel military airport in preparation for the visit of EU leaders to Dublin next autumn when Ireland’s holds the presidency of the EU. Anti-drone defences are part of a planned wider expansion of military capacity, which will include radar and maritime surveillance. In recent years, these have tended to be paired with meetings of the European Political Community, which includes all EU countries but also 20 other non-EU European countries such as the UK, Norway and Iceland. This has in the past seen RAF jets based in Scotland scrambled to intercept Russian military aircraft in Irish-controlled airspace. However, Ireland’s spending on defence remains a small fraction of what other EU countries typically spend.

Source: The Irish Times October 13, 2025 23:43 UTC