Despite only six weeks ago UK Ministers ruled out the idea of using RAF Chinooks and A400M aircraft to fight wildfires The UK government has announced that the aircraft will be equipped to fight fires and be ready, when requested, to help crews across the UK battle blazes on remote moorland, steep hillsides and other hard to reach terrain.

The UK Prime Minster, Andy Burnham said “I stood in Stourbridge and watched families lose everything. I will never forget it. Our firefighters were heroes that day, but heroes shouldn’t have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs. Crews will now have the kit they need to stay safe and military aircraft will stand ready to help tackle wildfires from the sky. We cannot put people through another summer like this one. Military planes and helicopters will take to the skies to fight wildfires for the first time, as we prepare for future extreme weather driven by climate change.”

To stop these fires from happening to begin with, the government will also invest more money to make landscapes more resilient. This includes £25 million to restore dried out peat lands in England so they hold more water and act as natural firebreaks, as well as financial support for farmers to fireproof their land, through digging ponds and removing burnable materials in high risk areas.

The Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said “The wildfires we’ve faced this year have been unrelenting, leaving a devastating impact on communities, homes and our precious countryside. We’ve heard loud and clear from communities, experts and emergency services that more needs to be done. That’s why we’re taking immediate action now, while working across government and the sector to build a stronger, more resilient national response to wildfires for the future.”

This summer was the UK’s hottest on record and the Met Office has found that climate change made the extreme heat around 130 times more likely.

Businesses including Airbus, Google and VodafoneThree will attend a summit, setting out how technology from satellite monitoring and early warning to connectivity and aerial capability can help communities better prepare for and respond to wildfires.

“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. This will see the RAF’s Chinook helicopters and A400M aircraft equipped with new specialist firefighting equipment to enable them to tackle wildfires from the skies for the first time.” Said UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting.

“Today’s Wildfire Summit is an important step toward strengthening wildfire preparedness and prevention in the UK. 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.” Said Kata Escott, Managing Director, Airbus Defence and Space UK & Head of UK Public Affairs.