rescEU Aerial Firefighting Fleet Balloons to 28 Aircraft Ahead of Summer
The European Union has doubled its combined rescEU aerial firefighting fleet ahead of the 2023 wildfire season, with 24 fixed wing and 4 rotary wing aircraft from 10 EU member states. The composite fleet was announced at the 105th anniversary of the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre by Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic. The fleet will include 16 light planes from Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, and Cyprus; 10 'medium scooping planes' from Spain, Italy, Greece, France, and Croatia; and 4 helicopters from Czechia, Greece, and France.