I recently attended the Aerial Fire Fighting Asia-Pacific, held in July on Australia’s Gold Coast. These events are not just useful for the industry leaders and participants to hear from various high-level speakers, but also to catch up with each other. What became apparent is that, after listening to various operators, a fine line exists between government agencies being too prescriptive and limiting, and not being flexible or sufficiently supportive to ensure the Australian industry can prosper. Now, to be clear, I do not advocate the wastage of taxpayer money in any way, shape or form. There has to be value for the money spent, and there have to be standards. But when red tape gets in the way of innovation and good ideas, then agencies – especially regulators – should be taken to task.

Australian firms working on cutting-edge aerial firefighting technologies that promise to deliver substantial benefits to firefighting agencies report facing active obstruction from the Australian aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia (CASA). Reports indicate that the regulator is hindering progress by imposing bureaucratic hurdles and discouraging local companies from pursuing certification for domestically developed equipment.

In fact, the regulator appears, in some instances, to be deliberately opposing Australian innovators and their efforts to advance firefighting technology within the country. firefighting agencies themselves. Instead of finding a way, it seems it takes the typical bureaucratic ‘no risk to me’ approach. All that has to happen, apparently, is to make a statement that ‘it’s not safe’ with little or no justification.

In Australia, under the current Labor Federal Government, the federal bureaucracy numbers have increased by around an estimated 25% in just four years, and the cost of funding this bloated system has increased by much more, percentage-wise. Australia has a high government-employed-to-private-sector-employed ratio (about 18%

compared to the USA at around 14.5%). I once worked within the federal public service, and I have no desire to do so again. What I observed was that it was often mainly about the process, avoidance of accountability, butt covering, and minimizing risk to the decision-maker. Australia, once an aircraft builder after World War Two, has not designed and built an aircraft since the GA10 Airvan, which ceased production in 2020; before that, it was the Government Aircraft Factory Nomad (production ceased in the 1980s). Australia has little industrial capacity these days thanks to many factors, but decisions by various governments have largely contributed to Australia’s parlous industrial capacity.

So, we see innovators, such as McDermott Aviation, taking their design and production offshore to the USA to work under a more competent national authority, the US FAA. “The time it takes, and the incoherent process followed by some CASA managers suggests that there is either bureaucratic incompetence or just an unwillingness to get things done,” commented John McDermott. In another example of the Australian regulatory bureaucratic inertia, where, in the USA, a restricted type certificate takes about six months to finalize, in Australia, it has taken over three years for an agency to get a restricted type certificate in place.

While I realize that the FAA also makes mistakes and there are many who think it should do better, its framework of regulations, guidance, and general competence usually permits industry there to get things done. And there are other examples of Australian companies having their innovative work being done overseas rather than within Australia just because Australia is not seen as a place that encourages innovation.

The sad thing is that I remember an Australia, not that long ago, that used to roll up its sleeves and get things done. Australians innovated, did the hard work and achieved remarkable things for a country with a small population. The bureaucracy did not get in the way. Yet it
seems that as the Australian bureaucracy has ballooned in size and impact, the national culture has become lazy. It seems Australia has a federal government that can’t see its way to supporting those who look to achieve.

Idaho NG Trains for Wildfire Response

Idaho National Guard aviation crews have conducted water bucket training alongside Idaho Department of Lands personnel in preparation for the 2026 fire season.

Cedar City Air Tanker Base breaks record

The crew at Cedar City Tanker Base, located at the Cedar City Regional Airport, have broken its single-day record of supporting wildfires when they dispatched 70 loads of fire retardant on aircraft totalling 156,005 gallons, breaking the previous single day record of 130,356 gallons in July, 2025.

Wyoming deploy MAFFS to California

The Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing has been activated to support wildland firefighting operations in the Southwest, Great Basin, Rocky Mountain and Northwest geographic areas.

Bridger partner with TracPlus

Bridger Aerospace is partnering with TracPlus to bring real-time aircraft position, aviation intelligence and drop event data to integrate into Bridger’s IGNIS software platform.

Austrian Armed Forces assist
with forest fires

The Austrian Armed Forces have supported efforts to fight forest fires in Tyrol deploying three helicopters in Wildermieming.

H3Operations completes Firefighting Mission

Following an emergency request from Greece, the Ukrainian operator H3Operations deployed a Mi 8MTV 1 from South Sudan.

CL-415 Damages Wing in
Mid-Air Collision

An Italian Canadair CL-415, operated by Vigili del Fuoco, was involved in a mid-air accident, after striking the cable of an AS332 Super Puma, while firefighting in south western Sardinia.

First UH-60L delivered to Spain

Timberline has delivered the first Restricted Category, N-Registered UH-60L Black Hawk to operate in Europe to Airworks of Spain.

French government order DHC-515s

The French government has placed an additional order for two Canadair 515 firefighting aircraft, further expanding France’s future aerial firefighting fleet which represents a significant endorsement of the DHC-515 program.

FAP order Tsunami tanks

The Portuguese Air Force has signed a contract with Recoil Aerospace for the acquisition of a further two Tsunami T800-E ventral tanks for the UH-60.

Texas A&M FS partners with Military

Through its partnership with the Texas National Guard, Texas A&M Forest Service will expanded its response to emerging incidents across the state with access to National Guard Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters.

KEPPLAIR 72 prototype delivered

Kepplair Evolution has taken delivery of its first multi-role water bomber, the KEPPLAIR 72 Forest Keeper, which is based on a converted ATR 72.

Bridger secures DOI
Task Order

Bridger Aerospace has been awarded a task order by the U.S. Department of the Interior to deploy a King Air 350 equipped with advanced Multi-Mission Aircraft capabilities.

Coulson returns S-61 to BC in 2026

Coulson Aviation Canada has commenced a 101 day contract with the B.C. Wildfire Service to provide an S-61 Type 1 NVG Helitanker in support of the province’s 2026 wildfire season, following annual training with BCWS Night Vision Imaging Systems Flight Officers and aviation teams.

Hellenic Fire System Achieves First Light

The Hellenic Fire System has achieved its first light over Greece with the OroraTech's thermal sensing technology.

Avincis and Bridger fight
Portuguese fire

Bridger Aerospace have announced that Bridger’s two Super Scoopers have been leased to Avincis and deployed to support wildfire suppression efforts in Portugal.

Conair Provide Aircraft to Canada

The Conair Group is providing four Dash 8-400AT airtankers plus one TBM 960 Air Attack aircraft to Canada during this wildfire season.

First EFA FireSat satellites in orbit

Earth Fire Alliance has launched its first three operational FireSat satellites, which marks Initial Operational Capability for the FireSat constellation.

Polish production FIREHAWK

PZL Mielec has commenced production of Europe’s first Sikorsky S-70 FIREHAWK helicopters for the Czech Republic.

PG&E supporting Merced County

Officials of Merced County Fire Department have announced that they are upgrading their firefighting efforts with the help of Pacific Gas & Electric who are providing a Black Hawk.

RescEU supports French Wild fire

European rescEU has deployed two Air Tractor AT-802F Fire Boss aircraft from Sweden along with Czechia sending a UH-60 to France in support of firefighting efforts.

In this issue we talk with Andrew Biggs an Australian pilot who has worked in Canada, China, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Turkey plus all over Australia specializing
in Ag and Fire Fighting in the AT802 and Fireboss. Along with low level survey, multi engine, aerobatics, formation and operating vintage aircraft Andrew sees aviation as his job and also his hobby.

Hello Peter, can you start by telling us who you work for and where you are based? Can you tell us a bit about what your current position and where you are based?

I am working in Europe this summer I have started in Portugal and will be finishing the rest of the season in turkey flying the Fireboss. Then returning to Australia to start the season at home.

Let’s talk a bit about your flying career. How long have you been a pilot and what has your career been like up to this point?

I have been a pilot my whole life, from a slave doing all odd jobs around the hangar to eventually a line pilot, senior pilot and to chief pilot. My first solo was at the age of 15.

So 25 years total now. Overall a great career meeting and working with great people around the world.

What initially got you into aviation and then flying aerial firefighting?

I initially got into aviation from my grandfather he was a private pilot and owned his own aircraft at the local private airfield. As a young 8 year old boy I was instantly hooked

on flying so every Saturday he would pick me up at 830am and we would spend the whole day at the airport flying and talking with other pilots and mechanics. I got into aerial firefighting by several years of drought in Australia with no aerial spraying to be done, so fire fighting was a good fit.

How many hours do you currently have and what ratings do you have?

Total flying is 13,000 hours, 7000 hours aerial spraying in C188, MA18, AT402, AT502, AT802. Fire fighting 1700 hours on the Fireboss and 1500 hours 802 land version. Ratings include MEA, SEA, floatplane, Ag rating, low level aerobatics.

What types of aircraft have you flown over the years?

I have been fortunate to fly over 100 different aircraft types either for fun or for work purposes. From flying competition aerobatics in my Pitts Special, Tiger moths, CAC Wirraway, DHC Beaver, T6 Harvard, Bristol fighter, Cessna 185 to multi twin turbine aircraft, they are the standout aircraft for me.

What was has been the consistent challenge flying in the

By
ALAN NORRIS

many different countries over your career?

The biggest challenge for me is the language, sometimes a simple question or discussion can turn into the complete opposite. Which depending on what it is related to can become a funny moment or very frustrating one.

What aircraft do you currently fly?

I am currently flying the Air tractor 802 Fireboss all of this season in 2026.

What are your favorite aspects about the aircraft you fly now?

The Fireboss is a great challenge to keep you on your toes which is what I love about it. It will humble you. Lots of training and the right training is needed to do it well and safe.

What types of special training have you gone through in
your career?

Under water escape training, bush fire awareness, CRM, Emergency maneuver training, AT802 flight simulator and then the regular in the real airplane flight training.

What was one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

I guess one of the biggest challenges for me especially in the first few years of my career is finding the balance of work and home life. Being away for months at a time is hard. Being from Australia it is so far from anywhere going back and forward regularly during a season is not practical. (Especially Europe). As the years went on it has now become completely normal for my family and we have a system that works for us.

What do you consider is your most memorable flight?

I have several memorable flights it’s hard to pick one. Flying with family, flying with great friends some of which are not with us today, the one that is hard to beat would be my first solo at age 15. My memorable flight while aerial firefighting was scooping on the Gallipoli peninsula and dropping at ANZAC cove, as an Australian that was special.

What would you say is the most satisfying part of flying on fires?

The most satisfying part of flying fires for me is rapid initial attack, when you get a dispatch then arrive at a fire with say 4 fire bosses and within that one fuel cycle you have completely extinguished that fire.

There’s a lot of down time, “chasing shade” flying fire contracts, what’s your favorite way to pass the time?

Yes a lot of downtime on a fire base, having a great team around you is absolute key to making it all work and a good TV series helps as well.

What has been some of the best advice you've received
over the years?

Don’t rush it. So many pilots are in a rush to get into a land version 802 or Fireboss when they are nowhere near ready take your time get experience it will happen.

Is there someone who has been a mentor/role model for you to help you achieve your goals? I didn’t have one particular person no, hanging around airfields everyday as a kid being very keen and listening to older pilots helped me, every day you learn something new.

What is one thing you always bring with you on
every flight?

I am not superstitious person, I always wear an approved helmet every time I fly for work whether it is just a ferry flight moving between bases, maintenance check flight or on a firefighting job.

Do you have any advice for people interested in getting into aerial firefighting?

Advice I would give is to get the right training, find the right company/mentor and learn. I see a lot of pilots who have minimal Airtractor hours and low level experience. It is a great industry with great people enjoy it and keep safe. You cannot beat hours in the seat with the right instructor.

If you were able to do so; what advice would your “experienced” self of today, give to yourself, back when you were still learning to become a pilot?

Enjoy the journey aviation is awesome with fantastic people, make friends and take the highs with the lows not everything is going to be easy and doing it tough sometimes grows you, your character and your experience. Listen to the right people and always ask for help or advice to improve yourself.

BEST Job

The Black Hawk Exchange and Sales Team (BEST) program has been operating since 2013, and its program lead (PL) is an experienced US military veteran highly skilled in military asset acquisition, management, and disposal. The team boasts five personnel whom the PL describes as experts in their fields, each exceptionally skilled in the various disciplines required to control a program facing complex financial, accounting, regulatory, and logistical challenges. The program has developed strong, ongoing relationships with a number of companies involved in the various processes necessary to transition a military aircraft into civil or federal service, and the PL stressed that the process is a combined effort that extends far beyond the BEST team.

Unlike the previous Cargo Helicopter Alternate Procurement Strategy (CHAPS) program, which typically returns divested assets to the OEM as ‘trade-ins’ for a partial

payment on new aircraft, the BEST team also takes aircraft that are old, obsolete, or simply due for replacement by newer models and coordinates their relocation, equipment removal as necessary, refurbishment and resale to qualified federal, state or civil customers.

Not only do the divestment programs provide an efficient, controlled method of aircraft disposal, but they also generate a significant financial benefit. The BEST program’s PL reported that prior to the establishment of such programs, every Black Hawk that came up for disposal went through the hands of an external organization for destruction, incurring a cost of around a quarter of a million US dollars per airframe. Most of those destroyed aircraft were fully airworthy, and the BEST program therefore saves that cost on each aircraft and generates significant income from aircraft that are sold. The PL estimated a net gain in excess of a billion US dollars since the program’s inception, commenting, “By law, we’re supposed to do whatever provides the maximum value back to the taxpayer.”

42AIR ATTACK

De-militarization

Normal de-militarization of an aircraft requires following a detailed specification for the destruction of various items, including chopping up the rotor blades, drilling the transmission, removing engine lubricants, and running the engines until they are destroyed. The BEST program has to obtain a de-militarization waiver through multiple agencies to avoid that mandated destruction, and the PL commented that the team obtains great satisfaction from seeing the ex-military aircraft being subsequently used to protect life, property, and wildlife in civilian or governmental hands, worldwide.

The BEST PL explained that recent changes have impacted the two differing methods of the Department of War (DoW) military aircraft and asset divestment. The US General Services Administration (GSA) processes non-excess items, while excess items are disposed of through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) after GSA screening. BEST deals with

the GSA for disposal of non-excess items and does not get involved with the divestment of excess items.

The processes for asset disposal are required to comply with executive orders, some of which then progress through the legislature and become public laws, taking priority over outdated regulations and policies. A significant number of aircraft have entered the federal and civil fleets through the GSA and DLA programs during the past decade, although very few have transitioned to civil firefighting use under the bipartisan Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025, the most recent public law currently in force relating to excess military asset disposal.

According to the PL, there are currently two documents in force that affect the number of aircraft to be divested. They are based on current technological changes related to flying and fighting, with particular regard to UAS (unmanned aircraft systems). “The Army Transition Initiative (ATI) and Army Structure Memorandum (ARSTRUC) documents are designed to transition the force to future goals, which include reducing overstructure while optimizing lethality

and particularly identify the Army Reserves as losing all rotary-wing assets,” he explained. “The quantity identified is 600-plus aircraft – including 91 AH-64D Apaches – but predominantly UH-60Ls and some CH-47F Chinooks.” He added that all UH-60Ls are to be removed from medevac service and replaced with the modernized HH-60M variant, adding significantly to the number of UH-60s for disposal.

“The ARSTRUC looks at the overarching fleet of approximately 2,000 Blackhawks that covers everything from a brand-new UH-60M that just came off the production line, to a legacy 1980s UH-60L model. The intent is to divest as much of the legacy fleet as possible or anything that’s beyond economical repair and that’s what you’re seeing with the Apache fleet; divesting the legacy AH-64D models to a pure fleet of modernized AH-64Es. With the CH-47F Block-1 Chinooks, there are multiyear I and multiyear II versions, and

there are plans to divest several of the multiyear I models,” the PL outlined. The documents reported a total of around seventy Chinooks for expected divestment, and the PL foresees single-digit numbers to be processed in the near future.

Future

Having said that, he also stressed that he hesitates to discuss the future, as it is heavily dependent on external factors, such as the outbreak of armed conflict or other unexpected changes in military requirements. “We don’t make the divestment decisions and there are a number of caveats to any predictions for future throughput. However, over ten years we have developed a good understanding of how it

fluctuates, based upon the end of the long war we had, what went on during the war, and events like that. We’ve moved well over a hundred aircraft in a year and as little as forty during the pandemic, so things do fluctuate a lot.”

He advised that there are currently more than 700 Lima-model UH-60s to be disposed of, while some may join the ninety-plus anomalous UH-60-Victor model fleet. The Victor is essentially a legacy Lima aircraft fitted with a new Northrop-Grumman cockpit that is a facsimile of the Mike model, so a pilot familiar with the Mike can easily fly a Victor. They will likely remain in service until all Limas have been disposed of. The key advantage of the Victor is that its government-owned cockpit and flight-control computer can be upgraded and modified in-house under the MOSA (Modular Open Systems Approach) without having to go through the OEM to approve and certify the changes.

the divested aircraft have nevertheless ended up there, predominantly used to fight the severe annual wildfires.

The primary catalyst for the BEST program was the 1995 importation and introduction to the civil market of ex-foreign S-70 examples by private companies. The BEST team met with those companies that had successfully introduced the type once they were FAA certified and operating, and the PL stated that the civil operators were completely free, open, and generous with their information. “What we did is we took that information and leveraged
it to create a program that would provide a new owner with the required assets to obtain a type-rating for the aircraft that didn’t exist before, and to establish the market for the UH-60A when we started pushing them out in 2013,” he recalled.

According to the PL, every time an aircraft reaches 17-25 years old or technical obsolescence, it comes his way. “Our job is like laundry, in that it’s never done,” he quipped. He advised that for that reason, there already is a program in place for the current UH-60M versions as the first of the -Mikes was delivered in 2006, much like the CH-47F. That means that the first of the latest-technology in-service models could be entering the BEST program and subsequently turning up in civilian hands in the reasonably near future. Fortunately, neither the Black Hawk nor the Chinook is a US Munitions List item and is exportable under the US Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) for specific commercial or dual-use modifications or parts. Although the team has not yet sold a UH-60 directly into Australia, a significant number of

Military Certification

Commenting on the worldwide tendency of aviation safety authorities to limit the civil use of the ex-military types in restricted category operations, the PL pointed out that such features as the crashworthy fuel system were standard on the Black Hawk long before the FAA required such items on standard category aircraft, and it far exceeds the safety standards of civil aircraft that fly in the standard category, carrying passengers for hire. He commented, “The beauty of the project itself is that in 1978, the US Army decided to move away from the single-engine, skid-equipped utility aircraft and by 2016 had the safety of a fleet equipped with fully crashworthy systems, redundant controls, and twin-engines, primarily because of safety,” he opined. “If you look at the safety record and crashworthiness of the Black Hawk in particular; it is designed to go into combat where you know you’re going

to get shot, hit and there’s a good chance you’re going to go down. It’s therefore over-engineered far beyond the normal type of safety requirements, which is why a civilian aircraft would have an incredibly tough time trying to fulfill its types of mission.”

The 674 Black Hawks currently in the civil market all fly with GE Aerospace’s (GE) commercial T700 series of engines. The engine is not a military derivative version but a purely commercial engine bought by the military from GE. They are identical to the T-701D engines in the AH-64D Apache, and the PL noted that the program was therefore viable to offer the Apache engines on the civil market as replacement powerplants for the civil Black Hawk fleet. He commented that with new AH-64Es being built, the divested -Ds will be broken down for parts, as there is a high proportion of parts commonality between the -D and -E versions with some selected airframes slated for museums.

Back when the first UH-60As entered the civil market in 2014, a number of companies wanted to offer modernized glass cockpits for the type and most accepted the PL’s

recommendation to buy ex-military examples on which to develop their designs before offering them to the civil market. The PL added that his team is still regularly asked about the best options for firefighting tanks or cockpits for divested Blackhawks. “We won’t recommend any particular company or offering,” he advised. “The market will determine what works best and those offerings will end up with a strong market share. Some have fallen by the wayside and others have proliferated.” The innovation reflected by civil companies with this type is significant. Expanded capability, sustainability, and effectiveness are being demonstrated, including optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) capability by multiple companies.

Throughput

The BEST team’s throughput is currently accelerating, and the PL reported that they recently processed 40 Black Hawks in one recent month, whereas just 65 were put through in the entire previous year. “Things are moving faster and the quality of the aircraft is higher; now they’re all flyable and good to go. Back in 2013, we were originally getting rid of the oldest, tired ‘hangar queen’ examples but now we’re essentially getting them fully flightworthy and capable, straight off the flightline; frontline aircraft that go to us and out the door to the operator,” he remarked.

He added that it reflected credit on the supporting organization that exists to make the program possible and explained, “It requires Army flight crews to fly the aircraft from point-A to point-B and get them to our consolidation location.” The restriction on Army Reserve flight hours and current budget restrictions create a challenge for the team, with Reserve aircraft up for divestment but remaining on station with no crews available to deliver them. “That means we’ll end up having to truck them or sell them on site, which is a challenge and something we have done in the past.

We do have a consolidation facility contract that covers transportation, storage and maintenance of the aircraft. How we go about that is determined by our fiscal responsibility to do it in the way that’s best for the taxpayer.”

Trucking has become more feasible over time, and the PL reported that at the program’s commencement, there was only one company with a single trailer type capable of transporting an aircraft of Black Hawk or Chinook size. Now there are at least three companies that can reliably move aircraft of that size and keep them in decent configurations. “We do whatever is best fiscally and meets the mission requirement,” he stated.

Looking ahead, later variants of the Black Hawk and the Chinook present a slightly more challenging prospect for civil operators, due to the newer technology that they are equipped with. For example, the UH-60M and CH-47F are both fitted with the Rockwell-Collins CAAS (common avionics architecture system) cockpit that was conceived as a purely military cockpit design to be incorporated into various types. Subsequently, however, Sikorsky elected to introduce the CAAS cockpit on its S-70I and S-70M civilian variants of the UH-60 series, so the CAAS cockpit is therefore now also a

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civilian offering, making CAAS maintenance and repair viable for current-generation ex-military aircraft entering the civil market.

The PL compares the Black Hawk to a Ford F150, a common utility vehicle that virtually everyone needs at some point. However, he describes the Chinook as a much more specialized offering; the Kenworth truck is a heavy transporter but much less common. Nevertheless, the thirty-one CH-47Ds that have previously gone through the process and moved into the civil sector initially changed hands for $2.6 million, subsequently increasing to around $4.6 million, and now you can’t obtain one because they are all engaged non-stop in productive work. “Parts supply is also tight, so at this point, there is a pent-up market for Chinooks,” he pointed out. He said the market price for the CH-47F will be determined when the divested examples become available.

Awareness

Alongside rotary-wing divestments, BEST also disposes of fixed-wing assets, and the PL reported that the program sold C-23 Sherpas to fund SOCOM’s C-27 support, and a significant number of various Beech KingAir models have been processed, with more to come as the Army continues to dispense with its turboprop intelligence gathering aircraft and transitions to jet-powered types. He explained that the US Defense Department has an acquisition organization designed to acquire new technology and systems and to introduce and sustain them in the military. However, there has been much less focus on divestment or disposal, which has essentially been an afterthought, despite the ‘cradle-to-grave’ requirement for military assets.

The PL commented that there are many instances of lost opportunities regarding divested aircraft assets outside the Army, largely due to a lack of general awareness of the BEST program and its capabilities. “Our team has spent a lot of time and effort determining the best way of doing things and we know what we’re doing. We’re now at the point where the

Army provides the aircraft to our team, we do our process and the Army gets the money back, and they depend on our team to execute the divestment efficiently, legally while minimizing risk and eliminating entities that detract from return on investment.”

While the program works under the US Army for aircraft disposal, it could also carry out the same function for other branches of the US military, making equally significant fiscal gains for the Marines, Navy and Air Force if they elected to take advantage of the team’s capabilities. For example, the Air Force has divested all its MH-60G Pave Hawks as it shifts to the new Whiskey model, and the retired Gs are currently sitting in boneyards. “My organization is in a position to support those folks if they want to bring us on board under contract,” advised the PL, who pointed out that the many federal agencies and operators could also utilize the team to dispose of obsolete, redundant, or superseded aircraft on a one-off basis, benefitting from its expertise and the complex logistical and accounting support network that underpins its operation.

Not only does the BEST program generate significant fiscal benefit for the US military, it also ensures that many capable, fully airworthy ex-military aircraft enter the civil sector and remain

in useful service, instead of ending up on the scrapheap. It can only be hoped that the rest of the US military and US federal agencies eventually follow the Army’s lead and utilize the program or something like it to maximize return on their fleets, with the divested aircraft adding significant capability and modernization to civilian aviation.

French photographer Hervé Dermoune captured these amazing images of aircraft fighting the numerous fires as they burned across France. This season has seen more activity than previous years and it shows no signs of slowing down. Crews from across Europe and more recently Australia have ventured to France to assist in the aerial fire fighting efforts.