Worries in France about outdated, rusting fleet of extinguishing aircraft

This article was last updated on July 9, 2025

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

Worries in France about outdated, rusting fleet of extinguishing aircraft

With different Large natural fires In the southern France, discussion has arisen in the country about the available extinguishing equipment. France has 23 extinguishing aircraft and 37 blushelicopters, but those aircraft are hardly suitable for effectively attacking current natural fires, is in a recent report from the French parliament.

“Due to climate change, the fires nowadays take longer and longer. They are also more intense and spread to northern France,” said the parliamentarians. “But the air fleet is outdated and therefore difficult to protect land and people.”

In other words: the problems are increasing, but the extinguishing devices are hardly adjusted accordingly. “Far too little is being undertaken and time penetrates,” the report says. That appeared earlier this month, but has hardly been noticed so far. Due to the current fires, the report now receives a lot of attention.

Salt water

The most used device is the Canadair CL-415. France has twelve of them, but they are old. The average age of the extinguishing aircraft is 30 years. They are increasingly on the ground for maintenance and repairs.

The number of flying hours that these aircraft makes has fallen 34 percent in three years, the MPs calculated. Last summer there were even days when one of the twelve Canadaries could extinguish fires because they were all on the ground with bad luck or defects.

Moreover, the devices often pick up their water in the South of France while they are built for fresh water. As a result, the Canadairs rust faster than intended. Parts of the planes are difficult to find, the report is stated, and the devices have not been made since 2015, which creates uncertainty for the future.

France also uses eight Dash aircraft, but they are not really intended for extinguishing forest fires. As a result, they age faster than necessary. There are also three Beechcraft aircraft, but they are on average 45 years old. “They must be replaced as quickly as possible,” the parliamentarians say.

Not quickly on the spot

The 37 blushelicopters that France has are stationed throughout the country. But there are areas that have to do without, for example in the north. As a result, a blushelicopter cannot quickly be on the spot if a fire breaks out.

“Due to climate change, there is an increasing chance of forest fires in northern France,” the parliamentarians write. Their advice is to better distribute the helis over the country in order to shorten the approach times.

To cope with all the problems, the French government is now increasingly calling in third parties. Personnel for repairs are hired externally. Folding aircraft and blushelicopters are rented from private companies. “The costs of this have been more than 106 million euros since 2020.”

The French government promised this morning improvement. “We’re going to free up extra money,” said government spokesman Sophie Primas. “We have already ordered two new Canadairs and I think we should order two more,” said the Interior Minister Retailleeau, who visited Marseille yesterday.

Marseille fire

On the north side of the second city of France, one broke yesterday morning serious fire From that reached the suburbs of Marseille. About a hundred people were slightly injured and were mainly confronted with breathing problems. About seventy houses burned out whole or partly.

The fire was not yet under control this morning, but the spread of the fire would have been brought to it.

Slightly more south, in the Narbonne area, different fires have been raging for a few days. Most of them are under control, but the fire is not yet extinguished. Around 2000 hectares were laid in the region.