Aerial Firefighting News

Vertical Mag • News Release

Greece Orders Eight Airbus H215 Helicopters to Boost Wildfire Response

Greece has signed a contract with the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection for eight Airbus H215 heavy-twin helicopters, plus two options, financed partly by European funds under the Aegis Programme, to reinforce the country’s aerial firefighting capabilities against intensifying forest fires.

2025-04-30T08:48:31.176925-07:00

globaltimes.cn

China's AG600 Amphibious Aircraft Receives Type Certification

2025-04-20T19:29:06.212526-07:00

AerialFire

McDermott Aviation's AIR Program Addresses Engineer Shortage in Australia

2025-04-28T07:28:13.060349-07:00

FlightGlobal

Manitoba Becomes First International Customer for De Havilland's DHC-515 Waterbombers

2025-04-26T02:40:24.310584-07:00

Aerial Firefighting News Timeline

AerialFire

USFS Bolsters Eastern North Carolina Wildfire Response with Helicopter Operations The U.S. Forest Service has intensified aerial firefighting operations in Eastern North Carolina as wildfire season grips the region, deploying helicopters equipped for water drops, reconnaissance and crew transport. These coordinated air and ground efforts aim to tackle complex fire behavior, enhance situational awareness and accelerate containment timelines.

2025-05-06T10:21:36.444230-07:00

USFS Bolsters Eastern North Carolina Wildfire Response with Helicopter Operations

AerialFire

Antonov An-32P ‘Fire-Killer’ Remains Europe’s Frontline Water-Bomber Designed in the late Soviet period as its primary water-bombing workhorse, the Antonov An-32P Fire-Killer remains Ukraine’s key aerial firefighting asset more than 30 years after the USSR’s collapse. Operated by the State Emergency Service and Zaporizhzhia’s Xena Airline, An-32Ps now lead firefighting missions across Europe.

2025-05-06T04:18:58.887911-07:00

Antonov An-32P ‘Fire-Killer’ Remains Europe’s Frontline Water-Bomber

AerialFire

NSW RFS Black Hawks Still Grounded as Cyclone-Remnant Storms Trigger Flood Crisis Seven years after ordering six S-70B-2 Black Hawk helicopters for flood and fire response, New South Wales Rural Fire Service assets remain uncommissioned. As a severe storm cell – the remnants of a cyclone – inundates NSW and Queensland, emergency services face equipment shortfalls in recovery operations.

2025-05-06T04:12:07.310435-07:00

NSW RFS Black Hawks Still Grounded as Cyclone-Remnant Storms Trigger Flood Crisis

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong Drone Show Operators Seek Regulatory Relief for 9,000-Unit Laser Displays Hong Kong drone show providers are pressing regulators to relax altitude and beyond-visual-line-of-sight restrictions, paving the way for synchronized 9,000-drone and laser displays. They say updated rules will not only boost entertainment spectacles but also enable corporate events and critical missions such as firefighting and police operations.

2025-05-04T19:15:15.276867-07:00

Hong Kong Drone Show Operators Seek Regulatory Relief for 9,000-Unit Laser Displays

Jerusalem Post

Israel greenlights Black Hawk firefighting helicopter purchase; deliveries slip to 2028 Israel’s security minister has announced cabinet approval for procurement of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to bolster firefighting capabilities, though formal talks have not begun and any order placed today would deliver the first aircraft no earlier than 2028.

2025-05-04T10:27:10.400869-07:00

Israel greenlights Black Hawk firefighting helicopter purchase; deliveries slip to 2028

globalnews.ca

WestJet assesses Fort St. John operations amid nearby wildfire WestJet is evaluating operations at its Fort St. John, British Columbia hub after a rapidly spreading wildfire threatened airport grounds. Fire crews, two helicopters and an air tanker group have been deployed to battle the blaze, raising the prospect of flight delays, cancellations and logistical challenges for the carrier.

2025-05-02T12:54:20.930304-07:00

WestJet assesses Fort St. John operations amid nearby wildfire

Lockheed Martin

Rain and Sikorsky Complete First Autonomous Firefighting Exercises with Black Hawk Over California Wildfires In late April near Hesperia, Calif., Rain, a firetech startup, and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, conducted the first autonomous wildfire suppression tests over live fires, using Sikorsky’s optionally piloted MATRIX autonomy suite integrated with Rain’s suppression planning software on a Black Hawk helicopter.

2025-05-01T08:03:23.483586-07:00

Rain and Sikorsky Complete First Autonomous Firefighting Exercises with Black Hawk Over California Wildfires

heliopsmag.com

CAL FIRE and TracPlus Launch Next-Gen Aerial Firefighting Platform CAL FIRE partners with TracPlus to launch the CAL FIRE Aviation Tracking and Information System (CATIS), a cutting-edge platform replacing legacy tools with real-time data capture and analytics. This initiative aims to enhance wildfire response capabilities by streamlining information flow and improving operational efficiency.

2025-04-30T13:55:33.953602-07:00

CAL FIRE and TracPlus Launch Next-Gen Aerial Firefighting Platform

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