FlightGlobal
• Lizzie Rix
The Royal Air Force will use aircraft including CH-47 Chinook helicopters and Airbus A400M transports to support wildfire response, an unprecedented role for the fleet. The move follows the hottest summer on record and adds military airlift assets to the UK’s aerial firefighting capability.
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The Royal Air Force will use aircraft including CH-47 Chinook helicopters and Airbus A400M transports to support wildfire response, an unprecedented role for the fleet. The move follows the hottest summer on record and adds military airlift assets to the UK’s aerial firefighting capability.
After its hottest summer on record, Britain will equip Royal Air Force Chinook helicopters and A400M Atlas transport aircraft to fight wildfires. The move creates a permanently UK-based military aerial firefighting capability for the first time, as the government steps up its response to increasingly severe fires.
Argentina’s armed forces have received the sixth and final Bell 407GXi, completing an order initiated in 2023. Delivered to Campo de Mayo on 20 October, the helicopters are split between the air force and army to enhance operational capability.
The U.S. Army has validated new transport technology for the AH-64E Apache, expanding options for moving the attack helicopter by sea and supporting its deployment. The available reporting does not specify the technology, test conditions or operational scope of the validation.
Higher oil prices and renewed concern over energy security could set the stage for a comeback in U.S. offshore helicopter operations. The sector, tied to offshore activity, may be approaching a turning point after a period of weakness, though the available report provides no production, fleet or demand figures.
The proposed airworthiness directive would require inspections of a connection to the main rotor servo-controls on affected Airbus AS350 AStar-family helicopters in the United States. The FAA estimates the directive would cover 980 aircraft; the notice concerns a potential safety issue and does not describe a final rule.
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Chorus Aviation has agreed to acquire Canadian air-ambulance operator SkyCare for about C$40 million (US$28.3 million). The purchase price is subject to customary adjustments and includes contingent consideration.
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