in-cyprus 26 July 2024 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The Republic of Cyprus has deployed two newly acquired leased Black Hawk helicopters for forest firefighting, the Forestry Department announced on Monday.
The helicopters arrived from Slovenia last week and are based at Paphos International Airport. They have a water-carrying capacity of 3,400 litres each. One is equipped for water drops and foam firefighting.
With a response time of 20 minutes, the Black Hawks significantly enhanced Cyprus’s aerial firefighting capabilities. They replaced two Egyptian MI 17 helicopters, which had a longer response time of 60 and 90 minutes, respectively.
This addition brings the total number of aircraft dedicated to aerial firefighting in Cyprus to 11. The fleet includes:
- One privately owned AT 802 aircraft
- Four leased AT 802 aircraft
- Two leased helicopters (the new Black Hawks)
- Two Jordanian AT 802 aircraft
- Two Jordanian Black Hawk helicopters
In addition, six secondary aircraft from the Police, National Guard, and British Bases are available for firefighting if needed.
The government aims to gradually acquire ten state-owned firefighting aircraft within the next five years, as outlined in a meeting chaired by the President of the Republic of Cyprus on March 12, 2024.
