The RAF is procuring an initial containerised aerial firefighting capability for the A400M Atlas, which will be available to support the 2027 wildfire season, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, asked how many kits will be purchased, when crews will be fully trained, what assessment had been made of the kit’s availability, and whether it will be permanently available before July 2027.
Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, gave the reply: “The Royal Air Force is procuring an initial containerised aerial firefighting capability for the A400M Atlas aircraft to enhance the UK’s ability to respond to significant wildfire incidents. The capability will be available to support the 2027 wildfire season and represents an important first step towards establishing a sovereign military aerial firefighting capability within the UK.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced at the Wildfire Resilience Summit last month that RAF Chinooks and A400Ms will be equipped for firefighting and deployed on request, the first time military aircraft will be used to fight wildfires in the UK. He said “military aircraft will stand ready to help tackle wildfires from the sky.” Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said “defence will step up to provide greater support to our emergency services”.
Chinooks practised firefighting in Cyprus during Exercise Ifestos in May, tackling a mock blaze at Machairas National Forest near Nicosia, and can carry a Bambi bucket underneath. France became the first nation to use the A400M’s firefighting capability in a real-world setting in July, AIN reported, using a roll-on, roll-off kit that enables the drop of around 22 tonnes of fire retardant.
Excellent news. Many have been calling for just such a sovereign capability for some time.
Different topic. The Royal International Air Tattoo have just announced all future shows will be held at MOD Boscombe Down. Starting from 2027. No more Fairford.
As if traffic in/around Salisbury and on the A303 wasn’t bad enough already!
Yeah, it’s certainly a busy area.
Or we could just create firebreaks? Much cheaper and no overstretch for overcommitted servicemen and equipment.
Oh! We can’t do that anymore…
‘Winter burns create firebreaks in upland areas by forming strips where there is less flammable foliage, thereby limiting the speed at which wildfires can spread.
But in 2021, the burns were banned from areas of “deep peat” – where it extends for 40cm or deeper – in conservation areas, totalling 222,000 hectares of land.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is now consulting on plans to extend the burning restrictions to 368,000 hectares of peat by lowering the threshold for “deep peat” to 30cm.’
Genius! Or not really…
Should be making the peat bogs actual bogs again with re wetting