Wildfires are not new to Türkiye, but the scale and intensity of recent fire seasons mark a turning point. According to the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM), annual wildfire incidents rose from roughly 2,950 in 2020 to nearly 3,800 in 2024. With a fire season stretching from May to October, communities face ever-greater risk as urban development pushes further into forested and rural areas.

Today, Türkiye’s aerial firefighting fleet relies on a mix of OGM’s own fleet and contracted helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, many equipped with buckets. These assets are powerful but limited: they must often fly long distances to refill, limit the speed of the aircraft, operate only in daylight, and are focused solely on suppression. In contrast, international experience shows that the future of wildfire response lies in multi-mission helicopters capable of day-and-night operations, rapid initial attack, and integrated rescue capability.