New bombers for fighting forest fires

France invested in the purchase of six new Dash 8 bombers in 2018 to improve efficiency when fighting fires.

This project was spread over six years until 2024, including the delivery of a new device each year. The cost is estimated at nearly 400 million euros.

These aircraft are purchased from a Canadian company, they will complement the existing fleet, already composed of 24 operational aircraft.

They are also intended to replace some aging aircraft.

The advantage of these devices is that they can be converted into transport aircraft.

Forest fires will be their main mission, but they will also be able to serve and help civil security both in terms of equipment and emergency personnel throughout the territory, in mainland France and overseas.

For ten years, no renewal had yet been made.

Civil security consists of:

– 9 Tracker S2 FT (ground refueling, capacity of 3,000 liters, 1 pilot);

– 12 Canadair CL 145 (amphibious refueling, capacity of 6,000 liters, 2 pilots);

– 3 Beechcraft King Air 200 (1 pilot, 7 to 10 passengers);

– 2 Dash 8 Q400 MR (ground refueling; capacity of 10,000 liters, 2 pilots, 64 passengers).

Civil security also has a helicopter base spread throughout the territory.

The main one is in Nîmes, the other 23 operational bases are located in Le Havre, Paris, Grandville, Lorient, Quimper, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Pau, Perpignan, Montpellier, Marignane, Cannes, Ajaccio, Bastia, Grenoble, Annecy, Clermont- Ferrand, Lyon, Besançon, Strasbourg, Les Abymes in Guadeloupe, Le Lamentin in Martinique and Matoury in Guyana.