Greece orders eight firefighting helicopters

The Hellenic Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection has placed an order with ‎manufacturer Airbus for eight new H215 Super Puma helicopters for use in aerial ‎firefighting operations. ‎

The contract also includes options for a further two aircraft of the same type, and will be ‎based on a “government-owned, contractor-operated” (GO-CO) model. This ‎arrangement will see Airbus Helicopters partner with H215 firefighting operators Airtelis ‎and SAF Hélicoptères for the technical and operational support. ‎

The order follows a tender conducted by the Project Preparation Facility of Growthfund – ‎the National Investment Fund of Greece – on behalf of the Ministry. ‎

The H215 has a range of 1,000km, an endurance of over two hours, and the ability to ‎carry over 19 firefighters. It can be equipped with either a water bucket or a belly tank, ‎and has a four-axis autopilot, facilitating nighttime firefighting operations.‎

The aircraft will join two Super Pumas currently flown by the Hellenic Fire Brigade, as ‎well as 12 operated by the Hellenic Air Force.‎

‎“Wildfires have burned on average 3–5 million square kilometers globally in recent ‎years with significant environmental consequences,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus ‎Helicopters. “It is an honor to have been selected to support the combat, with our H215 ‎helicopters, that Greek communities face every year.” ‎

The Civil Aviation Administration of China recently awarded type certification to the ‎‎Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (AVIC’s) AG600 firefighting aircraft‎.‎