Two S-70 Firehawk helicopters will enter service with the Czech Police and become the first examples of the type in European skies, with an option remaining open for a third airframe.
After securing an order last month for two new Firehawks for the L.A. County Fire Department, Lockheed Martin, through Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec, has now added even more to its order books. The S-70 Firehawk, a variant of the S-70 Black Hawk dedicated to aerial firefighting operations, has been ordered by the Czech Ministry of the Interior in a year where Europe has had more than a million hectares of land affected by the worst wildfire season on record.
Though the helicopters will be based in and operated by the Czech Republic, the procurement is backed up by the European Union’s rescEU plan, which seeks to establish a strategic reserve of disaster relief equipment, personnel, and supplies across the continent that can be shared mutually among member states as required. As such, the helicopters could see forward deployments throughout Europe according to emergent requirements.
The Firehawk carries a 1,000 gallon water tank, refillable through a retractable snorkel, as its primary firefighting resource. Additionally, the aircraft can be outfitted to act as a personnel or cargo transport to support firefighters working on the ground in remote areas. Casualties can be evacuated, including via hoist, and cared for using on-board medical equipment. Integrated night vision technology as well as provision for visible light and infrared search lamps allows 24/7 operation.
Janusz Zakręcki, president and general director of PZL Mielec, said “As wildfires increasingly threaten communities across Europe, we are proud that PZL Mielec can provide such advanced helicopters to keep residents, resources, and infrastructure safe for decades to come. This helicopter, produced in Poland, is a clear example of how our technology supports critical wildfire and emergency response efforts, and we look forward to continuously expanding the fleet’s reach into new countries around the globe.”
After each airframe is manufactured at PZL Mielec’s plant in southern Poland – Lockheed Martin’s largest production facility outside of the United States – they are handed over to United Rotorcraft for conversion to Firehawk standard. Usually completed at United Rotorcraft’s facility in Colorado, USA, as the final customer for this order is European the helicopters will undergo this process elsewhere for the first time. Česká Letecká Servisní (CLS) has partnered with United Rotorcraft to facilitate this first-of-a-kind arrangement.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to see the FIREHAWK make its debut in Europe,” said United Rotorcraft president Larry Alexandre. “We look forward to working with CLS on this first build outside of Colorado.”
“We are proud to partner with PZL Mielec and United Rotorcraft to bring this revolutionary aerial firefighting capability to Europe for the first time,” added Monika Kowalczykova, CEO of CLS. “The FIREHAWK’s unparalleled capabilities and abilities to operate in challenging conditions will provide European communities with a vital tool in the fight against devastating wildfires.”
The only other order for the Firehawk outside of the United States so far comes from Colombia, who engaged with United Rotorcraft to convert two of its existing UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters into firefighting platforms.
Most existing platforms in European service dedicated to aerial firefighting are fixed wing types, like the Canadair CL-415 which is operated in relatively large numbers by France, Greece, and Italy and see use across Europe. Fixed wing aircraft offer a higher capacity of fire suppressant, and can cover much larger areas, however it is more difficult to target their drops onto focused spots – this is where helicopters offer a complementary capability. Additionally, as discussed above, helicopters provide an important logistics and humanitarian role that is not feasible with fixed wing aircraft.
Unmanned Aerial Firefighting
Operators of the Firehawk co-operate closely with the firms involved in the aircraft’s manufacture to ensure it is continually upgraded with the latest equipment as technology evolves. The most significant future development is likely to be an unmanned variant of the Firehawk, which will undoubtedly borrow from Sikorsky’s U-Hawk concept.
Though manned helicopters will remain relevant in aerial firefighting for many years to come, not least due to the secondary transport and search and rescue roles, unmanned variants would bolster a fleet’s overall capacity without adding significant increases to crew requirements. Unmanned Firehawks would also be able to fly into higher risk situations without putting human lives in danger.
Smaller drones, including commercially available models, have already been integrated into firefighting tactics across the world, offering firefighters the chance to observe ongoing fires as well as investigate scenes of extinguished fires from perspectives previously unavailable without dedicated air support. When equipped with thermal imaging cameras, these remotely piloted aircraft can also be used to detect lingering hotspots that could reignite, allowing crews to safely target the right places with water or other fire suppressants and prevent further damage.
