Aircraft that used by countries for forest fires

Aerial fire response methods in a country, resources to be used, aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, satellite-like platforms, as well as the number of these platforms, their abilities and competencies, for example, their water carrying capacity for aircraft and helicopters, the planning and implementation of firefighting teams. determines. In addition, some factors such as the land structure of the country, the proximity of the burners to water sources / lakes and pools, the weather conditions during the fire, especially the direction and strength of the wind, day / night conditions, the distance of the fire to the settlements play a decisive role in the intervention methods. In any case, firefighting has its own rules, standards, criteria, safety factors, etc., which require teams to take risks and face dangerous situations that may cause loss of life or injury. It is a special field that requires a highly disciplined way of working.

Global warming necessitates the global fight against fire. When necessary, it is obligatory to use aid mechanisms to connect the countries of the region together, to use air response vehicles and crews jointly when certain predefined and agreed situations occur, even to integrate the "fire operation centers" of the countries with each other by forming a joint consortium, and to intervene in fires from a single center when necessary. It dictates to us the conditions that will make it happen.

In this context, taking a look at the aerial fire response platforms owned or used by some countries in the world, and their possibilities and capabilities will provide some data that Turkey can benefit from in order to improve its own system, and will shed light on the future studies of the General Directorate of Forestry.

Aircraft used for firefighting are divided into three groups. The first is the command and control aircraft that monitor the fire from the air and direct the teams. Second, they are amphibious aircraft that can take off and land on water. The third is the classic fire extinguisher aircraft stationed on land, which can fill the water tanks they carry only by taking off and landing on the squares.

1. Fire Command Control/Coordination Aircraft

These are the aircraft used for aerial command and control of aircraft and helicopters used in forest fires. In such aircraft, the crew consists of an experienced pilot and an experienced firefighter. Their task is to determine how to respond to the fire, to set priorities, to direct the planes and helicopters to the fire area in the best way. This team stays in contact with field teams and the command center, as well as with the aircraft that came to the fire during operations. Examples of aircraft that can be used for this purpose are Cessna Caravan C208B, Turbo Commander TC-690A, Beechcraft King Air 90, Beechcraft King Air 200, Twin Commander 500 etc. can be given.

2. Amphibious (Water Scooper type) Aircraft

Also known as water bombers, these planes do the job of picking up water from a lake and dropping it on a forest fire. Examples of these aircraft are the Canadair designed Viking CL-215T (5,345 litres), the old CL-215 (4,900 litres), CL-415 (6,340 litres) and Air Tractor AT802 Amphib (3,028 litres), the Chinese AG600 ( 11,355 liters) can be displayed.

3. Classic Airplanes

These air tankers are typically loaded with long-term retarding chemicals or water at a tanker base prior to a bushfire. It is the aircraft that must land and take off from the nearest square in order to discharge material/water to the fire area and resupply. Examples of these aircraft are the four-engine Avro RJ85 AT (11.355 liters), the De Havilland Canada (DHC) made Q400MR and Q400AT (10,000 liters), Convair CV580 (7,950 liters), classic Air Tractor AT802 (3,028 liters), Beriev BE-200 ( 10,000 liters), Coulson Boeing 737 (15,142 liters), C130Q (15,450 liters) can be counted. Some aircraft without firefighting equipment may use pluggable portable "modular aerial firefighting systems (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systmems - MAFFS)".

The majority of these aircraft are aircraft built for other purposes. Only Canadair-made CL215 and CL-415 are made for fire extinguishing purposes. Old planes are used by modernizing within the scope of fire extinguishing needs. Thus, it is possible to use these aircraft in aerial firefighting fleets around the world. New aircraft are also being made for use in aerial firefighting missions. The AG600 aircraft made by the Chinese are a good example in this sense. Until new firefighting planes become widespread, we have no choice but to rely on improvements to old planes to fight fires.

Countries are established to buy or do fire fighting planes and helicopters in line with their specific needs, most of them providing services on a global scale.

It prefers to get direct service from the most international companies and to rent aircraft. For this reason, it is a very difficult task to be able to answer the questions of which country has how many planes and helicopters to fight fires, clearly and accurately. In this context, it is thought that it will be sufficient for now to be content with the number and capacity of the aircraft used by a few countries for the purpose of responding to fires.

Canada

Within the scope of the contracts made with the Canadian government, the Conair company provides aerial response services to forest fires in Canada with approximately 70 aircraft and 350 personnel.

Australia

Australia's aerial firefighting fleet is quite large. Small aircraft such as the PZL M18T Dromader and Air Tractor AT802F with an average water throwing capacity of 3,000 liters are predominantly used in the country. Large firefighting aircraft such as the Avro RJ85 (capacity 11350 liters), Coulson C130Q (15,450 liters) and the Coulson B737 (15,142 liters) converted from Boeing 737 are also in service.

Greece

28% of Greece's land area consists of forest areas. 11 CL-215 Scooper and 7 CL-415 Superscooper aircraft made mainly from Canadair-Bombarider are used. In addition, the PZL M-18 Dromader aircraft continues to be used by the 359th Public Service Air Support Squadron since 1983. The fuel capacity of Dromaders has been increased by 70%, giving them the ability to operate in the air for up to 4.5 hours instead of 2.5 hours. Greece is responding to fires with S-64 helicopters, which can carry 9,500 liters of water baskets operated by Erickson along with aircraft.

Croatia

6 CL-215, 2 CL-415 and AT-802 aircraft are deployed at the 93rd Air Base in Zadar, on the Adriatic coast.

Israel

In Israel, the Aerial Fire Fighting Unit is fighting fires with 14 single-engine Air Tractor 802s, each of which can carry 3,000 liters of water. These planes are kept ready for fires as they stay on the ground for 15 minutes. The aircraft has the flexibility of use, after discharging its water to the fire area, going down to the square to get water again, resupplying water in 10 minutes (turn-around time), and quickly going to the duty area. Elbit Systems continues its test flights in order for these aircraft to be able to respond to the fire even at night.

France

28 percent of France's land area consists of forest areas. France's aerial firefighting fleet includes 12 Canadair CL415, 10 Grumman S-2 Tracker, 4 Dash-8 Q400 and 3 Beechcraft King Air 200 aircraft. In addition, approximately 40 EC145 helicopters deployed in Corsica are capable of responding to aerial firefighting missions when necessary, as well as other search-and-rescue and emergency medical response missions.

Babcock company provides firefighting services in the summer months, depending on the contracts, with its 400 personnel, more than 100 aircraft and helicopters to Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Spain

26% of Spain's land area consists of forest areas. Babcock is working with Spanish Air Force crews in Spain with 57 firefighting aircraft and 46 base areas. Of these aircraft, 14 are CL-215 and 3 are CL-415. In addition, the Titan aerial firefighting company took over the operating responsibility of the AT-802 aircraft fleet.

Italy

29% of Italy's land area consists of forest areas. Babcock is integrated with the Italian Fire Service. Italy has 16 CL-215 and 3 CL-415 as 19 amphibious firefighting aircraft. In addition to these aircraft, other aircraft (light, medium and heavy) and helicopters and a total of more than 100 aircraft are operated for firefighting purposes. Italy mainly used Agusta-Bell AB 412A helicopters against fires. Recently, the process of replacing these helicopters with Leonardo-made AW 139 helicopters has been initiated. In addition, AB 206 helicopters used for fire surveillance and reconnaissance will be replaced by AgustaWestland AW109 helicopters. Two twin-engine turboprop aircraft, Piaggio P180 Avanti II, which are in Italy's inventory, are also used when necessary. Erickson is responsible for the S-64 fire programs in Italy.

Portugal

Aerial fire extinguishing services are provided by Babcock company and Portuguese company Agro-Montia. At least 6 Air Tractor AT-802 and 2 Canadair CL-215 are in service in the firefighting fleet.

Turkey

THK currently has 9 CL-215 aircraft (oldest built in 1970, newest built in 1989) in its inventory. Kaan aviation has 3 helicopters that can be used for firefighting. For the summer of 2021, Turkey has commissioned a total of 27 firefighting helicopters, mostly Mi-8 helicopters, by leasing. No aircraft chartered.

As given in the table below, it is seen that a large amount of forest burned within the borders of the countries, which cannot be denied by any country. Yes, firefighting is serious business. It has a substantial cost. For example, if we take a look at a new or modernized CL-415T aircraft made by Canadair, we see that the price is $30-35 million. These aircraft are fitted with a new generation avionics system and turboprop engines. This aircraft is almost the size of the C-130. Despite this, its rapid leaning and high maneuverability allow pilots to enter narrow valleys and canyons more comfortably than others with these planes to extinguish fires in rough terrain. The control surfaces of these aircraft are particularly enlarged compared to normal aircraft. Thus, it is possible to fly very stable over mountainous terrain with heavy load and low speed. The camber wing design used in these aircraft provides more lift than similar aircraft. It provides practicality in terms of operations. Approximately 6,000 liters of water in its reservoir can be quickly filled with water in 12 seconds. It can quickly discharge this water to the fire area in 2 seconds. It can fly 100 feet above the ground and fight fires. Other planes pass 300 feet and above, causing the discharged water to disperse. The lower the altitude, the better…

If Turkey wants to procure, perhaps design and manufacture firefighting aircraft in the future, considering the abundance of mountainous regions, it is obvious that it would be beneficial to consider aircraft with CL-415T equivalent or superior features.

Some References that we Used:

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