The European fleet of fire-fighting aircraft will be reinforced. Asked by Reuters, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, announced that the European Commission was in talks with aircraft manufacturers to buy new fire-fighting devices.
Specifically, they will supply the RescEU fleet, created in 2019 and then made up of 7 planes and 6 helicopters. It was completed again last year with another 5 aircraft destined to intervene throughout Europe in an emergency. On July 15, France, for example, activated this mutual aid system, which caused the arrival of Greek and Italian planes in France.
Renewal of French Canadair
This common fleet will therefore take on a new dimension in the coming years when the fires may spread throughout much of Europe.
The issue is even more pressing in France because used Canadairs are seriously starting to age. Two-thirds of the 12 French aircraft are over 25 years old. In theory they have no limit of mechanical or technical obsolescence, but their maintenance is increasingly expensive, so much so that a 2019 Senate report encouraged the renewal of the fleet.
Therefore, the renewal could take place within the framework of RescEU to facilitate interventions on the ground.
Europeans can also rely on another advanced tool, the Copernicus satellite program tasked with monitoring the state of the Earth. These data provide an accurate mapping of the territory to better understand forest fires.
Source: BFM TV
