Slovenia receives second Air Tractor
The second of a fleet of four Air Tractor AT-802 fixed-wing firefighting aircraft arrived in the country on 18 May
The aircraft, intended for use by the Slovenian government’s Administration for Protection and Rescue (URSZR), subsequently undertook a 45-minute acceptance test flight on 20 June, and will be registered as S5-BZT.
It follows the delivery of the first aircraft arrived in the country on 9 May. The subsequent two planes – amphibious AT-802A Fire Bosses – are due to be delivered in early 2024. The Slovenian government reportedly holds an option to purchase a further two aircraft for 2025 or a later date, if required.
The aircraft are being co-financed by the European Union’s cohesion policy funds for the 2021–2027 period, and will join the bloc’s rescEU shared firefighting fleet.
The purchase of the four aircraft, announced earlier this year, was prompted by the severity of wildfires in Slovenia’s Karst region in the summer of 2022, in which approximately 3,500 hectares were burned.