According to figures provided by the National Forestry Corporation, CONAF, which are updated daily, in the 2023-2024 season there have already been more than 1,714 forest fires and nearly 15,000 hectares have been affected. It is in the midst of this emergency and with the aim of supporting and improving aerial tactics in the fight against forest fires in the country, that seven giants of the air will join the fleet operating in Chile to work to prevent the fire from spreading.

“From Ecocopter, we contribute to the need for aerial resources in the fight against forest fires through state and forestry entities, where we have been incorporating first class, high-tech and efficient aircraft for several years for this type of emergencies, which have been increased by the climate crisis. Both the State and the private sector have timely activated the mechanisms to have the appropriate means to avoid a tragedy of proportions, and we, with our experience, international partners, and awareness of the urgency of this need, want to be a contribution by collaborating from the air with world-class helicopters and aircraft”, says Armando Weinberger, General Manager of Ecocopter Chile.

The arrival of the DC9 tanker aircraft, which entered service on December 1, 2023, and has already supported emergencies in the Valparaíso and Metropolitan regions, is joined by two SuperPuma AS332 L2 helicopters whose mission is to extinguish fires in the Biobío and Araucanía regions. These semi-heavy helicopters can drop up to 3,500 liters of water, have an autonomy of up to 3 hours of flight, are 20 meters long, have a rotor diameter of 16.20 meters with 4 blades and a complete system for firefighting, through a Heli bucket for loading water that allows sequential discharges. In addition, it can transport 16 brigade members or firefighters.

In a few days, two more Kamov helicopters of the heavy bomber type, twin-engine with Heli bucket and a capacity of 5,000 liters, which are specialized in discharging water and/or retardant, will join the fleet.

Mauricio Neira, Ecocopter’s Forestry Manager, stated that “the presence of these helicopters in Chile gives us a guarantee and a sample of how the State and the forestry industry are preparing to face the emergency in the best possible way, and thus prevent this type of catastrophes from spreading and can be controlled with fast, versatile, efficient aircraft and world-class expert crews”.

Two Erickson Aircrane units will also be added to the firefighting effort. These helicopters, considered the largest and most efficient of their kind in the world, will have the mission of protecting the populated and industrial centers of the central-southern regions of Chile, as they have done in recent years with high levels of effectiveness, since they work in the advance or “head of the fire”, slowing its progress.

It is worth mentioning that the Erickson Aero Tanker DC9 forest fire bomber aircraft is already operating in the country, an air tanker that joins the Ecocopter fleet, and is providing services to the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), to combat the fires that are projected for the season. The Aero Tanker has a load capacity of 11,356 liters of water and retardant and reaches a maximum speed of 788 km/h. With a ventral tank, it can discharge up to 2,271 liters per minute. In addition, its tanks can be loaded quickly in an average of around 7 minutes.

“For this season we have consolidated a first-class fleet with these six helicopters known worldwide for their efficiency in extinguishing fires, in addition to the Erickson Aero Tanker DC9 aircraft and five other light Airbus H125 helicopters. Each of the aircraft has expert pilots and crews with a staff of mechanics, engineers and logistical support that provide security so that operations are a success and fulfill the purpose of protecting citizens and the environment,” says Francisco Arriagada, Ecocopter Commercial Manager.