Taoiseach Micheál Martin will undertake the first official trip on Ireland’s new €53m Dassault Falcon 6X next week to the United States for St Patrick’s Day festivities.
The aircraft will fly from Dublin to Philadelphia and then to Washington D.C. The jet replaces a 21-year-old Learjet 45 that experiences frequent mechanical issues.
It carries up to 17 people with a maximum range of over 10,000 kilometres without refuelling.
The Department of Defence has specified secondary roles including evacuations, medical transfers and military support.
