Aerial Firefighting News

AeroTime

High activity

Canada expands autonomous UAS operations, procurement and wildfire-response capability

Canada is advancing uncrewed aviation across military, commercial and emergency-response missions: the Royal Canadian Navy has deployed a Textron Aerosonde on an Arctic patrol vessel, while Voyageur ordered Airbus U030 Flexrotors and Volatus announced partnerships for sovereign intelligence and heavy-lift wildfire aircraft.

Flying Magazine

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Unauthorized Drones Disrupt Spokane-Area Wildfire Response, Trigger Fairchild AFB Evacuations

Unauthorized drone flights in the Spokane, Washington, area disrupted aerial firefighting operations as wildfires spread, while evacuations began at Fairchild Air Force Base. The incident highlights the operational and safety risks posed by unmanned aircraft near emergency-response activity and active airports.

Vertical Mag

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Two firefighting Bell 412 helicopters collide near Athens, killing two crew members

Two Bell 412 firefighting helicopters collided midair while battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens, killing two crew members and injuring or leaving two others alive. The accident underscores the operational hazards facing aerial firefighting crews as severe fires and extreme winds spread across Greece and Southern Europe.

CNBC

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Two Bell 214ST firefighting helicopters collide over Greek wildfire, killing two

Two Bell 214ST helicopters leased by Greece’s Fire Service collided mid-air while conducting water-dropping operations over a severe, wind-driven wildfire near Psatha in western Attica, roughly 60 kilometers west of Athens. The crash killed two people, while initial reports said other crew members were rescued.

CNBC

Two firefighting helicopters collide while battling Greek wildfire, killing two crew members

Two Bell firefighting helicopters collided in midair over Psatha, west of Athens, on Sunday while attacking a major wildfire. Each aircraft carried a two-person crew; two crew members were killed, highlighting the operational risks faced by aerial firefighting teams during Greece’s severe wildfire season.

Vertical Mag

Avincis logs 9,200+ firefighting flight hours across Spain, Portugal and Italy, up nearly 90% year over year

Avincis has surpassed 9,200 firefighting flight hours across Spain, Portugal and Italy, representing an increase of nearly 90% compared with the same period last year. The figures highlight a sharp rise in demand for aerial firefighting capacity across southern Europe.

AINonline

Spain’s Air and Space Force pairs multidomain ambitions with A400M firefighting and A330 MRTT deployments

Spain’s new Air and Space Force vision emphasizes AI, collaborative combat, missile defense and space dominance, while Spanish A330 MRTT forces participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2026. Separately, A400M aircraft are demonstrating expanded utility as high-capacity wildfire retardant bombers in France and Spain.

AeroTime

High activity

Australia issues national SOPs for large air tanker firefighting aircraft, setting minimum retardant drop heights after 2023 737

Australia has introduced its first national standard operating procedures for large air tanker firefighting aircraft, including minimum drop heights, after an investigation into a 2023 Boeing 737 firebomber accident in Western Australia. The rules follow findings that no height restrictions were in place at the time of the crash.