On 8 November 2018, a wildfire swept through northern California, becoming the deadliest fire in America for a century, ravaging the town of Paradise on its way. The Day California Burned documentary by BBC Two revisits the catastrophic day when the wildfire wiped out 95% of Paradise, leaving most of the city a charred ruin. Drawing on hundreds […]
The new addition to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s rotor fleet has arrived at Sacramento McClellan Airport on 12th October 2019. The new helicopter is a twin-engine craft called the Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk from United Rotorcraft, which are manufactured specifically for CAL FIRE and for firefighting purposes. It will serve statewide through the […]
Leonardo is supporting the certification of the C-27J Spartan as a water bomber.
Coulson Aviation USA, a member of the Coulson Group of Companies, and the Ministry of Defence, Bolivia, have secured a deal in which Coulson Aviation will be sending three type 1 helicopters to help and support the firefighting efforts in the Amazon. “We are honored that the Bolivian Government had chosen to work with Coulson […]
The first of six Dash 8-Q400MRs ordered by France has been delivered to the Sécurité Civile base Nimes-Garons this week. Built by Bombardier, modified by Conair and initially registered as C-FXFK, the aircraft has been delivered just in time for the fire season in France. This new aircraft will join the two former Scandinavian Airlines […]
Orange County Fire Authority, in partnership with Southern California Edison and Coulson Aviation, launched a new nighttime aerial firefighting program. The “Next Generation Aerial Operations Based Pilot Program” is comprised of two helicopters. The first one (S-61) has the capacity of carrying 1,000 gallons and can fill its tank at night while hovering over a […]
Hundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires in Catalonia as temperatures soar to 40C (104F) across Europe.
BAE Systems unveiled its 360 Multifunction Vehicle Protection (MVP) Sensor as part of the company’s integrated vehicle protection system (VPS) suite,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University have signed a licencing agreement with Florida company Drone Defense Systems, covering new technology to detect and commandeer unauthorized drones to a safe landing. The technology, developed by Embry-Riddle faculty member Dr. Houbing Song, suggests a safe and affordable way to neutralize rogue drones, without having to shoot them down or force […]
While the Lockheed C-130 Hercules is best known for transporting personnel and cargo, this military workhorse is also used in the US for wildland firefighting. Three of the four military C-130 firefighting airlift wings — Colorado, Nevada and Wyoming, making up the Air Expeditionary Group — came together last week in Colorado, for a week-long […]
