RAF aircraft will be used to fight wildfires for first time
Military assets will support civilian firefighting operations in the UK.
The UK government announced on 22 October that Royal Air Force (RAF) Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters and Airbus Defence & Space A400M tactical transports will be used to tackle wildfires.
The RAF aircraft will be equipped with new specialist firefighting equipment, in an effort to tackle wildfires from the air for the first time, says the Ministry of Defence (MoD). This will establish a permanent military aerial firefighting capability in the UK.
The initiative will enable the aircraft to support civilian fire and rescue services tackling wildfires in remote and difficult-to-access areas, including moorland and steep hillsides.
“As the threat of wildfires in the UK grows, defence will step up to provide greater support to our emergency services and protect military training areas across the country,” says defence secretary Wes Streeting.
Noting that it is the UK’s second-largest landowner, the MoD says it needs to acquire an aerial firefighting capability in order to address the escalating risk of domestic wildfires.
The announcement marks a change from the MoD’s position outlined in September 2026, when it said it had no plans to adapt the A400M fleet for domestic aerial firefighting or procure water-bombing equipment for military helicopters, like the Chinook. At that time, the ministry cited the absence of a requirement for a dedicated UK capability.
2026 was the UK’s hottest summer on record. According to figures from the National Fire Chiefs Council, England and Wales have experienced a record-high 1,350 wildfires this year – an increase of over 300 compared to last year and of more than 1,000 compared to 2024.
Aircraft adaptation
While specific details of how the aircraft will be adapted are not yet clear, RAF Chinooks have already helped respond to wildfires in Cyprus, dropping around 450t of water on a fire in July 2025 using bambi buckets.
Notably, the French air force used one of its A400Ms in a fire-suppression role in July 2026 for the first time in real world conditions, dropping retardant from its rear cargo ramp using a prototype Mk 2 version of Airbus’s roll-on, roll-off mission kit.
Airbus has previously conducted extensive firefighting trials with the A400M. Source: Airbus Defence & Space
The UK announcement coincides with the Wildfires 27 Resilience Summit, which is being hosted by Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Liverpool. Businesses including Airbus will be in attendance to lay out how aerial capability can help communities protect themselves from wildfires.
“With our life-saving capabilities, we are supporting the UK effort in the air, in the digital domain, and with our early warning assets in space,” says Kate Escott, managing director of Airbus Defence & Space UK.
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