Europe seeks an alternative to Canada

Europe faces mounting pressure to develop alternatives to the Canadian-made Buffalo firefighting aircraft after wildfires this year have scorched half a million hectares across the continent. With existing fleets struggling to meet demand, European nations are accelerating efforts to design new amphibious planes capable of combating large-scale blazes, reducing reliance on the aging Canadian models. The urgency has intensified following warnings from the French parliament’s committee last year, which highlighted a critical gap in aerial firefighting capabilities and urged Europe to invest in domestic solutions. The current fleet of firefighting aircraft is under severe strain. According to reports, the European Union has already ordered 22 Buffalo aircraft from De Havilland Canada, based in Toronto. However, the company has been idle for over a decade and is preparing a new model. Greece, the first customer, will not receive its aircraft until 2028, according to Reuters. This delay has prompted European countries to explore other options, including retrofitting existing aircraft or developing entirely new models tailored to their specific needs. Creating effective firefighting aircraft is a complex process. These planes must be able to land on water surfaces and carry substantial amounts of water during flight. Over the past few decades, capacity for such specialized aircraft has dwindled, with many experts noting a decline in expertise related to hydroplane design since the 1950s. Elmar Welczek, a former project leader of the failed German-Italian Advanced Amphibious Aircraft (AAA) initiative and a leading expert in the field, stated that Western countries have lost much of the knowledge required for designing such aircraft, even dating back to World War II. Despite these challenges, several European startups and companies are working on innovative solutions. Positive Aviation, a French startup, is using the retired ATR-72 aircraft as a prototype to build a plane capable of carrying eight tons of water from lakes or seas, equipped with special floats. The company aims to enter the market with retrofitted aircraft by 2028, having already ordered ten planes from American firm Bridger Aerospace. Meanwhile, Kepplair, another French company, is developing a fire-fighting aircraft designed to be filled with water on the ground for rapid response in the early stages of fires. Founder David Joubert emphasized the importance of quick reaction times in determining whether a fire can be controlled or allowed to spread uncontrollably. Other projects are focusing on entirely new designs. HYNAERO, a French startup, has announced a partnership with aerospace parts manufacturer Latecoere to develop the Fregate-F100 hydroplane, which would be capable of carrying ten tons of water and cost around $80 million. In Italy, 19-01 Holding is promoting the WF-X amphibious aircraft project, which is expected to begin production in 2031 with private funding totaling €1.2 billion. In Belgium, architect Gaetan du Four is developing the Seagle amphibious aircraft and seeking industrial partners, though the project might not be ready before mid-next decade due to financing constraints. These initiatives highlight the growing recognition among European policymakers of the need to bolster firefighting capacities. Political support is crucial for these projects, especially amid ongoing debates about strengthening emergency response infrastructure. Laurent Schmitt, president of Positive Aviation, expressed concern that public interest could wane quickly, warning that within four weeks, both media and politicians might lose focus on the issue. The development of new firefighting aircraft requires significant investment in research, development, regulatory approvals, and manufacturing facilities. Estimated costs range from tens of millions of dollars for retrofitting existing planes to over a billion dollars for creating entirely new models. As these projects progress, they represent a potential shift in Europe's approach to aerial firefighting, aiming to reduce dependency on foreign suppliers while addressing the urgent need for more robust and adaptable firefighting capabilities.