UK military jet flew over Westmeath

An apparent British Royal Air Force (RAF) jet flew over Ireland and as far inland as Mullingar on Friday last, March 6, the flight tracking programme, Flightradar24 has shown.

The plane, a BAe Systems Hawk T2, described by the RAF as being “a high-performance, 2-seat training jet equipped with advanced avionics and synthetic radar to simulate front-line combat aircraft like the Typhoon” is used primarily for advanced jet training, preparing pilots for “complex tactical environments”.

The craft appeared to have started its journey in Anglesey, at an airport that has the code VLY, and that is currently described as closed to commercial flights, but still in use for military operations.

It travelled over Delvin and Bracklyn, and then to Mullingar.

While there is a facility on FlightRadar24 to replay the flight track, the track does not show the entirety of the period the craft was in the air, and does not show it over Ireland, even though that trip was recorded by FlightRadar24 as it happened on Friday.

A query by the Westmeath Examiner to the Department of Defence on Sunday, asking if there is a relationship or agreement between the Irish Government and the RAF and whether the RAF patrols Irish airspace on behalf of this country elicited the response that: “All foreign military and state aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require diplomatic clearance.”

In consequence, the reply stated, it was best that the query be directed to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The same query was put by this newspaper, on Sunday, to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as was later suggested, but no reply was issued by the time of going to press on Monday.

As this is published online on Thursday 12 March, we have not received a response from the Dept of Foreign Affairs.