Irish DoD: No Falcon 6X Capability Limitations sans EFVS

The Irish Department of Defence (DoD) asserts that the Republic of Ireland’s new Dassault Falcon 6X state transport has “no limitations on [its] operational capability” despite reports the government declined the FalconEye enhanced flight vision system due to its Israel-made components. Dassault lists the FalconEye landing aid as a standard feature in its literature, but the Irish DoD contends the system is optional.

According to reporting by Irish newspaper The Journal, the procurement process deliberately opted out of installing a FalconEye landing system in an apparently politically motivated omission. FalconEye was developed in partnership with Israel’s Elbit Systems, and Ireland has often been perceived as sympathetic to Palestine, formally recognizing the latter as an independent state in 2024. At the time, government head Taoiseach Simon Harris described this acknowledgment as “an act of powerful, political, and symbolic value.”

Dassault Aviation refers to FalconEye as an “advanced, pilot-controlled vision system for low-visibility operations,” combining enhanced and synthetic views enabled by a range of cameras and sensors. These, it asserts, offer an “unprecedented level of situational awareness” in all conditions, including fog, mist, and snow. However, in a statement, the DoD maintained that its new strategic reach aircraft “remains capable of carrying out its full range of intended missions.” 

New-build Falcons are typically delivered with a FalconEye HUD above the captain’s seat, with an optional right-seat HUD installation. Although not essential to safe operation, it does broaden the parameters in which a landing can be made. Without FalconEye, the 6X can land with a cloud base of 200 feet agl and 550 meters of visibility, the former dropping to 100 feet agl with the system operational.

Dassault did not respond to multiple requests for confirmation whether elements of the system have been omitted, removed, or disabled. The DoD told AIN that “for operational reasons, [it has] no further comment to make on the aircraft’s specifications.” 

In December 2024, Minister for Defence Micheál Martin confirmed the acquisition of the new €53 million ($55 million) multipurpose asset. Operational from early 2026, the Falcon 6X—the first military-registered example of its type—replaced the Bombardier Learjet 45 operated by Ireland since 2004. The DoD stated that the 6X “significantly enhances the state’s transport, airlift, and medical evacuation capabilities,” able to carry up to 14 passengers rather than its predecessor’s seven.

On August 9, the long-range capabilities of the 6X were publicly put to the test with the high-profile extradition of an Irish national from the United Arab Emirates. Following his arrest in the UAE, alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan was flown on the 6X from Dubai to Dublin to appear at Ireland’s Special Criminal Court. Ireland’s National Police and Security Service confirmed that the extradition of “a man in his late 40s” was “facilitated by the logistical support of the Irish Air Corps.”