Garda Air Support Unit
| Garda Air Support Unit | |
|---|---|
GASU emblem | |
| Abbreviation | GASU |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | September 1997 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| National agency (Operations jurisdiction) | Ireland |
| Operations jurisdiction | Ireland |
| Legal jurisdiction | Eastern, Northern, Southern, South-Eastern, Western and Dublin regions |
| Governing body | Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Casement Aerodrome |
| Parent agency | Garda Síochána |
| Facilities | |
| Aircraft | Eurocopter EC135 Viking 400 Twin Otter |
The Garda Air Support Unit (GASU) is a unit of the Garda Síochána which was formed in 1997.[1] The GASU is part of the Operational Support Unit, which provides specialist support to Gardaí nationwide. The Operational Support Unit also includes the Water Support, Dog Support and Mounted Support Units.[2]
Between 2007 and 2008, the unit released figures indicating that it had contributed to 1,300 arrests within the preceding three years, and it had located 14 people during search and rescue operations in 2007.[3]
Aircraft
The GASU's aircraft are maintained and flown by the Irish Air Corps,[4] and based at Casement Aerodrome near Dublin.[5]
As of December 2025 the unit operates two EC 135 T2 helicopters[6] and a Viking Series 400 Twin Otter.[7]
They formerly operated a Eurocopter AS355N Squirrel (Eceuriel) helicopter, which was in use by the unit from 1997 until January 2008, when the second EC 135 T2 replaced it. A Britten-Norman Defender, in operation since 1997, was placed into storage (pending disposal) in November 2023 and was replaced by the Twin Otter. The Squirrel and the Defender were the first two aircraft of the unit.[7]
| Aircraft | Origin | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed wing airplane | ||||
| DHC-6 Twin Otter | Canada | Guardian 400 | 1 | Delivered in 2025 to replace the Britten Norman Defender 4000.[8][9] |
| Helicopter | ||||
| Eurocopter EC135 | Germany | EC135 T2, EC135 T2+ | 2[10] | Delivered in 2001 and 2007.[5] To be replaced by 2 Airbus H145, ordered in 2023.[11] |
| Retired aircraft | ||||
| Britten-Norman Defender | United Kingdom | 4000 | 1[12] | 1997-2023; replaced by 1 DHC-6 Twin Otter. Full type designation: Pilatus Britten-Norman BN 2T-4S Defender 4000.[5] |
| Eurocopter AS355N Squirrel | France | AS355N | 1 | 1997-2008; replaced by 2 Eurocopter EC135 T2. Also known as "Eceuriel" ("Squirrel" in French). |
Mandate
GASU responsibilities include providing an active support role for the Garda Síochána and aircraft may be deployed to incidents in the following circumstances:
- An immediate threat to life.
- Incidents of crime, terrorism or of national importance.
- Immediate threat of serious public disorder.
- A task which will lead to the immediate prevention or detection of crime.
- To gather evidence and to prevent or detect crime or to avert a serious public disorder.
- To gather information on and deal with incidents relating to crime, public disorder and traffic related matters.
- Collecting footage from the air at a major event.
References
- ^ "Garda Website - Air Support Unit page". garda.ie. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
The Garda Air Support Unit was established in September 1997
- ^ "Garda Website - Operational Support Units". garda.ie. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- ^ "Second Garda helicopter takes to air". Irish Times. 15 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ "Defence Forces Website - Air Corps - Fleet". military.ie. Defence Forces. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- ^ a b c "The Garda Air Support Unit". garda.ie. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Eurocopter 135 T2". military.ie. Defence Forces. Archived from the original on 12 December 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
The Air Corps [..] currently operate two EC135 T2 aircraft [..] in the Garda Air Support role
- ^ a b "New Garda Air Support Unit Viking 400 Arrives in Baldonnel". flyinginireland.com. 13 December 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "De Havilland Canada's Twin Otter Guardian Aircraft Chosen for Enhanced Operational Capabilities". dehavilland.com. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "New Garda Air Support Unit Viking 400 Arrives in Baldonnel". flyinginireland.com. 13 December 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ "EC135 T2". military.ie. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Departmental Expenditure Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 September 2025". Houses of the Oireachtas. 17 September 2025.
- ^ "PBN Defender". military.ie. Retrieved 16 August 2024.