Recent summers have clearly shown that more firefighting assets are needed at EU level,” Janez Lenarčič, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, said in October 2022.

“Due to climate change the number of regions affected by wildfires is increasing, going beyond the traditionally affected Mediterranean countries. By building up our fleet of aerial means and ground forces, the EU will be able to ensure a prompt, flexible response, including in situations where fires are burning in multiple member states at the same time,” he concluded.

Last summer the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre launched its biggest-ever aerial firefighting operation in response to Greece’s request for assistance, deploying fixed-wing aircraft and one helicopter from a number of EU member nations to support five planes from the Greek rescEU fleet.

“The situation in some Mediterranean countries has been dire in the wildfire season,” according to the EU’s Joint Research Centre, analyzing 2023 data from the European Forest Fire Information System. “Destructive fires hit Spain early in the season, and in July broke out in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. August was a tipping point for the fires in Greece, which suffered the most devastating fire that ever occurred in the EU,” the report stated.

Fires had an “exceptional impact” on local economies, the Joint Research Centre said, because outbreaks occurred in and near popular tourism destinations (ensuring, also, massive media coverage).

In November, the Council of the EU agreed to the extension of funding for the rescEU reserve of firefighting planes and helicopters until the end of 2027.

“The fight against the effects of climate change and forest fires must be a priority for the EU and its member states, as was made clear last summer,” Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain’s Acting Minister for the Interior, said at the time. “It is great news that the necessary financing has been obtained to invest in the improvement of aerial capabilities, both planes and helicopters, for firefighting.”

A permanent aerial firefighting fleet for the EU

RescEU was created in 2019 as a reserve of European civil protection capacities that steps in to help member states protect citizens when disasters – such as wildfires – overwhelm their existing response capacities. Last summer’s events – including the worst wildfire ever recorded in the EU, which claimed at least 20 lives in northern Greece – underlined the need for an enlarged pan-European firefighting fleet. Looking ahead, the EU wants to create its own permanent aerial firefighting fleet to be deployed at need to support individual member states.

This won’t happen overnight, as the fixed-wing firefighting aircraft type of choice, the DHC-515, is not immediately available, so extending EU funding is something of a stopgap.

For summer 2023, the rescEU fleet was composed of 28 firefighting aircraft,. This figure included 24 firefighting airplanes and four helicopters from member states

“The Council has agreed to the extension, until the end of 2027, of a transitional measure which will allow member states to continue to benefit from EU financing to lease firefighting planes and helicopters, until a future, permanent EU firefighting fleet of firefighting planes and helicopters becomes operational,” the EU Council said in November.

“Since the purchase of highly specialized aircraft cannot be completed before the end of 2024, the transition period to lease forest fire planes and helicopters had to be extended.

“To ensure a smooth transition until the full availability of the rescEU firefighting fleet, the [European] Commission can, for a transitional period until 31 December 2024, provide financing to member states to lease firefighting planes.”

Before the fires that swept regions of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and other regions last summer, Lenarčič had already announced plans to increase the rescEU reserve from 13 aircraft to 28, with fixed-wing aircraft sourced from Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, and four helicopters to be contributed by the Czech Republic, France and Greece. All 28 aircraft would be funded by a €170 million provision from the EU budget throughout the mid-June to October fire season, Lenarčič said.

“For summer 2023, the rescEU fleet was composed of 28 firefighting aircraft,” said a European Commission spokesperson for humanitarian aid and crisis management. This figure included 24 firefighting airplanes and four helicopters from member states including Croatia, which contributed two medium amphibious aircraft; Cyprus, which provided two light planes; the Czech Republic, which provided two helicopters; France, which contributed two medium amphibious airplanes and one helicopter; Germany, which provided two light aircraft; Greece, which contributed two medium amphibious airplanes, two light planes and one helicopter; Italy, which contributed two medium amphibious airplanes and two light planes; Portugal, which provided two light planes; Spain, which contributed two medium amphibious airplanes; and Sweden, which provided four light planes, the spokesperson said.

“As regards the aerial firefighting fleet, the intention is to have available the same number of assets and also keep the same balanced distribution.”

Accelerated aircraft procurement

More ambitiously, the EU has announced an accelerated aircraft procurement program, along with plans to create its own standing force of firefighting aircraft, easing its current dependence on using a scratch force made up of components from different member states to deal with each major fire outbreak.

Lenarčič said in May 2023 that the rescEU fleet would be further reinforced through an accelerated procurement of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters “as from 2025”. Best estimates now are that the first new-built DHC-515 tankers that will form the backbone of the EU fleet will be operational by 2027, with a full fleet flying by 2030.

The DHC-515 is a modernized successor to the Canadair CL-415, which has been the workhorse of most European firefighting fleets since the mid-1990s and is still operational with many. In July 2023, the EU proposed the purchase of 24 DHC-515s. Twelve will form the core of rescEU’s own pool of aircraft while a further 12 aircraft will be operated by the firefighting services of Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, the EU has confirmed.

As currently envisaged, the plan allows for wide flexibility, without over-centralization

As currently envisaged, the plan allows for wide flexibility, without over-centralization. In terms of equipment, the EU agency believes member states are best fitted to continue making decisions on aircraft purchases independently, bearing in mind that each of the nations most vulnerable to serious wildfires has different needs. While the versatile Canadair and its successor, the DHC-515, will form the nucleus of rescEU’s expanded fleet, aerial firefighters will continue to need the resources to operate in a wide variety of terrain, from scattered Greek islands to mountainous areas area of Spain, Italy and France.

The EU also deploys aircraft to support firefighting operations beyond its borders, sending assets to Chile, Canada and Tunisia, among other countries, in 2023.

A year ago, even before last summer’s disastrous wildfires, the Greek Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection had put out a tender for 36 new single-engine fixed-wing amphibians, including six dual-control trainers, to be delivered within six years of inking the purchase, with the EU co-financing the €145 million deal through its NextGenerationEU program.

It was almost a foregone conclusion that the aircraft chosen by Greece would be the floatplane version of Air Tractor’s AT-802 Fire Boss, already the single-engine firefighting aircraft of choice for Greece and a number of other European governments.

In November 2023, perhaps anticipating confirmation of an order from Greece, Air Tractor Europe President Vicente Huerta confirmed the Spanish-based company’s order for 31 Fire Boss aircraft, with delivery from the US-based manufacturer from 2024 through 2026. In addition to the multi-year order, Air Tractor Europe had purchased more than 80 sets of floats for the European market, Huerta said.

Working with EU member states

The Commission has made it clear that it perceives its role primarily as an enabler, providing participating member states with the resources to expand the common reserve fleet but leaving it up to each to decide on which mix of twin-engine and single-engine land-based fixed-wing aircraft, floatplanes and rotorcraft is most appropriate for their individual needs.

“RescEU is a safety net,” the spokesperson said. “Firefighting activities are primarily a national competence and responsibility. rescEU’s objective is to support in case of overwhelming circumstances at national level.

“The European Commission is financing the acquisition of 12 firefighting planes and plans to do the same with some nine helicopters for the establishment of the rescEU permanent fleet,” the spokesperson continued.

The European Commission is financing the acquisition of 12 firefighting planes and plans to do the same with some nine helicopters for the establishment of the rescEU permanent fleet

“This is to be developed in close cooperation with six EU member states: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece. These aircraft will be based in the six member states to support EU operations.

“Each of the six member states received a grant to procure two aircraft and the first rescEU aircraft is likely to be delivered by late 2027 with the full fleet (airplanes and helicopters) operational by 2030. Member states have preferred to engage in discussions with DHC for the procurement of the DHC-515,” the Commission spokesperson concluded.

Deployment of aircraft will be coordinated by the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels. The 12 fixed-wing aircraft will be based in the member states procuring them.

The Commission spokesperson said there was “no information at this stage” on procurement of the nine additional rotorcraft. Airbus and and other major original equipment manufacturers, both already key suppliers of emergency medical services (EMS) and search and rescue (SAR) helicopters to EU member states and their private sector subcontracted firefighting fleets, would seem to be a natural fit for rescEU’s expansion program. Airbus declined to comment on whether it had been approached for any purchases, citing commercial confidentiality.

Training and crew recruitment will likely be the responsibility of the member states, drawing on their existing resources.