Portugal receives four firefighting helicopters
The Portuguese Air Force (FAP) has acquired four new rotorcraft under the government’s Recovery and Resilience Plan
The aircraft – a pair of AW119 Koalas – were presented at FAP Maneuver Aerodrome No. 1 (AM1) in the city of Ovar on 23 November, at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister António Costa.
The Koalas will join the FAP’s 552 Squadron, and will be exclusively used to combat rural wildfires.
At the same ceremony, the FAP also unveiled two UH-60 Black Hawks, both of which will be based at AM1. The Black Hawks are the first deliveries from a fleet of six due for delivery before 2026.
In a statement, the FAP said: “As of today, the Air Force has four new helicopters that will be dedicated to the mission of fighting rural fires.”
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector!