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• Charlotte Bailey
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.
Aerial Firefighting
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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.
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.
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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.
Australia has introduced standardized height and operational rules for large firefighting aircraft following the 2023 Coulson 737 accident, in which the aircraft crashed into rising terrain after a downslope retardant drop. The update responds to the finding that no height restrictions were in place at the time of the accident.
France’s military deployed an Airbus A400M to help fight out-of-control wildfires burning west of Bordeaux in late July 2026. As fires threatened the region, aerospace firms—including Dassault, Thales and ArianeGroup—closed nearby sites, while Dassault moved sensitive equipment to Merignac and nearby air-base facilities after the Gironde wildfire idled the Rafale assembly line.
Finland’s military closed a section of Finnish airspace and imposed maritime traffic restrictions along the country’s southern coast near the Russia border, citing risk from stray drones linked to the Ukraine war. Related reporting highlights drone violations across NATO’s northern flank, including air-defense responses in Romania.
Avincis, Europe’s largest aerial emergency services firm, is warning that the region is not ready for longer and more extreme wildfire seasons. The company flags growing strain on waterbomber and aerial firefighting capacity as wildfire conditions intensify.
De Havilland Canada is preparing to begin final assembly of its first DHC-515 water bomber this year, with the aircraft already largely manufactured. The program remains on track for an expected 2028 delivery, positioning the modernized DHC-515 as the successor to the CL-415 family in aerial firefighting roles.
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