The Department of Defence has paid out more than €1 million since 2020 to fix the aircraft, which is worth just a fraction of that amount
The Department of Defence has spent more than €1 million on repairs for a Garda surveillance aircraft worth just a fraction of the sum spent to maintain it.
The Defender has in recent years been dogged by technical difficulties and only returned in October after lengthy maintenance in the UK.READ MORE: Woman who crashed into the wall of nursing home while drink-driving avoids jail The bill for this year could be even higher again, with €235,521 spent in the first ten months of 2024.It said the Pilatus Britten-Norman Defender required regular maintenance to ensure safety, reliability and “asset value preservation.”
The department also said questions related to the current value of the plane and how much it was used in 2024 were matters for gardaí. Security analyst Declan Power said the ongoing maintenance bill appeared to be poor value for money for the taxpayer.
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