They were attending the annual International Armoured Vehicles Conference, which bills itself as “the largest, most influential gathering of the global armoured vehicles community”. If things proceed as expected, Ireland will rely on French companies for a huge proportion of its heavy-duty military equipment. By 2030 France could be in receipt of almost €2 billion in Irish defence contracts, a staggering figure considering the entire Irish defence budget for this year is €1.48 billion. Photograph: Dara Mac DónaillSome military sources expressed concern about the lack of military contracts being directed towards Irish companies. Unsurprisingly, this is also the view of the Irish Defence and Security Association (IDSA), a representative group for Irish companies involved in the defence sector.

Source: The Irish Times January 24, 2026 09:00 UTC