France strengthens aerial support against forest fires with European help

Le Porge – 24 July 2026: In view of the severe forest fires in Gironde, France is strengthening its aerial support and activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism during the night of 24 July. According to the president and European authorities, additional aircraft from several Member States are expected to contribute to the operations. The reinforcements are planned for the ongoing response, while firefighters in the southwest remain engaged on several fronts of the fire.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the national civil protection fleet comprises 23 firefighting and transport aircraft. These include twelve Canadair water bombers, eight Dash aircraft and three Beechcraft aircraft. Individual resources are not permanently assigned to a single location, but are moved according to weather conditions, fire development and the needs of operational commands. The aim is to get aerial support to where ground forces need it as quickly as possible.

Canadair aircraft are primarily intended for direct firefighting attacks on active fire fronts. They can collect water from suitable bodies of water and quickly return to the operational area. Dash aircraft complement this task. They can drop water or extinguishing agents and are used in particular to slow advancing fire fronts or secure threatened areas before the fire arrives. Beechcraft aircraft are mainly used for reconnaissance and coordination of operations from the air.

A new development is the planned support of an Airbus A400M from the air force. On 17 July, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence agreed with Airbus on the experimental use of a drop system for this military transport aircraft. The equipped A400M can drop up to 20 tonnes of firefighting agent. According to the Ministry of the Interior, this roughly corresponds to the load of two Dash aircraft. The aircraft is expected to be used primarily as a preventive measure to secure at-risk areas with protective lines.

Helicopters also remain an important component of the overall system. They can be used in difficult-to-access areas, transport water tanks, support operational teams and provide a situational overview. The air force also provides infrastructure: the Bordeaux-Merignac base resumed refuelling and support operations for firefighting aircraft on 24 June. According to the Ministry of Defence, more than 240 aircraft movements by firefighting and support aircraft have already been recorded there.

Through the EU mechanism, two Canadair aircraft from Croatia, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, as well as one heavy Black Hawk helicopter each from the Czech Republic and Slovakia are expected to be added. The European resources complement the French fleet, but do not replace the work of firefighters on the ground. Satellite maps from the Copernicus programme are also expected to help operational commands monitor the development of the fires and prepare their measures.

The current situation shows that firefighting is organised at several levels: aircraft limit the spread, ground forces protect residents and infrastructure, while operational headquarters constantly reassign available resources. The A400M is therefore not a replacement for proven firefighting aircraft, but an additional element. Its actual effectiveness in ongoing operations will depend on weather conditions, the accessibility of the fire-affected areas and the further development of the fires.