After being wrong-footed by a massive wildfire last year, Slovenia has decided to build up dedicated aerial firefighting capabilities, for which it has purchased four water bombers, two of which will be delivered before wildfire season starts.
Under a €23 million agreement signed on Monday with Air Tractor Europe, the first 2 two-seater aircraft will arrive in Slovenia before June while the other two 1-seaters next year.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era in the fight against natural disasters. These aircraft will make sure that we are not at the mercy of other countries or their availability,” Defence Minister Marjan Šarec has said.
When it comes to aerial firefighting, Slovenia has so far either relied on assistance from other countries or used dual-use aircraft, such as military helicopters fitted with special water tanks.
But last year, when a massive fire raged in the Kras area on the border with Italy, destroying 2,000 hectares of forest, it was decided that dedicated firefighting capabilities were needed.
One water bomber can carry more than 3,000 litres of water, which is more than existing police and military helicopters. They can also be refilled with water on the ground or a body of water mid-flight.
A new firefighting unit will be established as a special unit operating under the civil protection force, and the water bombers will be registered as civilian aircraft. Slovenia plans to also make them a part of the EU’s firefighting fleet to help other countries when necessary.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič welcomed the purchase of the water bombers. He said the improvement in Slovenia’s capacities would make the country safer as well as strengthen the EU’s joint response to such emergencies.
(Sebastijan R. Maček | sta.si)
Source: euractiv.com
