RAF Chinooks and A400M to fight UK wildfires from the sky

The Royal Air Force will equip its Chinook helicopters and A400M Atlas transport aircraft to fight fires, giving Britain an aerial firefighting capability permanently based in the United Kingdom for the first time, according to the government.

Wes Streeting, the Defence Secretary, said: “As the threat of wildfires in the UK grows, defence will step up to provide greater support to our emergency services and protect military training areas across the country.

“This will see the RAF’s Chinook helicopters and A400M aircraft equipped with new specialist firefighting equipment to enable them to tackle wildfires from the skies for the first time.”

Ministers had ruled out precisely this six weeks ago, when Louise Sandher-Jones, a defence minister, answered a question from Neil Duncan-Jordan, the Labour member for Poole, who had asked whether the A400M fleet could be adapted to carry water. Her answer, published on 9 September, said that “responsibility for responding to wildfires in the UK rests with the relevant civil authorities and emergency services” and that “the Department is aware of the Airbus A400M aerial firefighting system currently under development and testing.” It concluded: “Consequently, the Department has no plans to adapt the RAF A400M Atlas fleet for aerial firefighting purposes.” That position was reported here in September.

Pressure on the question had built through the summer, when a wildfire that broke out near Glenmore in the Cairngorms on 15 July burned across roughly thirty square kilometres of heather, woodland and conservation land, and the UK government offered military helicopters for heavy lifting alongside support from stand-by battalions. The Scottish government declined. Neil Gray, the Justice Secretary, said the requirement on the ground was for waterbombing helicopters, that every commercial waterbombing aircraft in the country was already committed, and that the military did not hold that capability. Royal Air Force Chinooks of 1310 Flight had dropped around four hundred and fifty tonnes of water on a Cypriot wildfire in July 2025, flying from Akrotiri with Bambi buckets, which this publication set out at the time.

The Prime Minister said: “I stood in Stourbridge and watched families lose everything. I will never forget it. Our firefighters were heroes that day, but heroes shouldn’t have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs.

“Crews will now have the kit they need to stay safe and military aircraft will stand ready to help tackle wildfires from the sky. We cannot put people through another summer like this one.”

Firefighters in England will be given additional specialist wildfire teams and lightweight personal protective equipment designed for wildfires, backed by up to £45 million. The kit crews currently wear is built primarily for fires in buildings and is not meant to be worn for long stretches, and the replacement is intended to be lighter and more breathable so it can be used for longer periods.

Angela Rayner, the Communities Secretary, said: “The wildfires we’ve faced this year have been unrelenting, leaving a devastating impact on communities, homes and our precious countryside.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from communities, experts and emergency services that more needs to be done. That’s why we’re taking immediate action now, while working across government and the sector to build a stronger, more resilient national response to wildfires for the future.”

On prevention, the government will put £25 million into restoring dried-out peatlands in England so that they hold more water and act as natural firebreaks, and will give farmers financial support to fireproof their land by digging ponds and clearing burnable material in high-risk areas. The new Peatland Restoration Grant Scheme will be run by Natural England and is expected to operate from April 2027 to April 2029. Tougher local restrictions and bans on particular products are also being examined as a way of stopping fires being started when the risk is high.

Dame Angela Eagle, the Environment Secretary, said: “The wildfires that tore through our countryside this summer showed the urgent need to adapt to our changing climate.

“Nature is our greatest ally in preventing wildfires starting in the first place, with healthy landscapes keeping more moisture in the ground to stop fires spreading.

“That’s why we are stepping in and investing £25 million to restore peatlands as well as backing farmers to deliver natural fire safety measures on their land.”

A Wildfires AI Unit will be created inside the National Situation Centre in COBR, drawing together universities, technology firms and government departments to spot and fight fires faster. The government will work with the Met Office on better wildfire forecasts and risk assessment, develop England’s first Wildfire Action Plan covering prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, and work more closely with the devolved governments on shared expertise. An interministerial meeting between the UK and devolved governments will be convened to coordinate the response across all four nations.

Louise Haigh, the First Secretary of State, said: “The UK has world-leading expertise in the application of new technologies to track and tackle wildfires. By bringing together the work of the National Situation Centre, leading academic institutions and our international partners, we are building a centre of excellence at the heart of government that will share best practice and strengthen our national preparedness.”

Katie White, the Minister for Climate Transition, said: “Anyone who thinks climate change is a problem for our children and grandchildren, rather than here and now, should spend a shift with a firefighter. This summer, crews battled devastating wildfires in extreme heat, risking their lives to protect the places we love. The threat is already here, staring us in the face.

“We can’t stop every wildfire, flood or storm, but we can make sure Britain is ready. This summit is about better equipping our brave emergency services, protecting our people, and building a stronger country, whatever the weather.”

Civil fire and rescue services across all four nations will continue to request firefighting support through the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities process. The Ministry of Defence is the second largest landowner in the United Kingdom, and the government said the department requires an aerial firefighting capability of its own to adapt to the increased risk of wildfires facing the country.

The package was announced ahead of a summit at which the Prime Minister met fire chiefs, local leaders and experts. Airbus, Google and VodafoneThree attended, setting out how satellite monitoring, early warning, connectivity and aerial capability can help communities prepare for and respond to fires. Kata Escott, managing director of Airbus Defence and Space UK and head of UK public affairs, said: “Today’s Wildfire Summit is an important step toward strengthening wildfire preparedness and prevention in the UK. With our life saving capabilities, we are supporting the UK effort in the air, in the digital domain, and with our early warning assets in space.”

This summer was the United Kingdom’s hottest on record, and the Met Office has found that climate change made the extreme heat around one hundred and thirty times more likely. The government held the first meeting of its Climate and Nature Security Taskforce last month, which will establish the most significant climate and nature security risks facing the country and shape the government’s approach to them.