UK to use military aircraft against wildfires, Burnham says
UK government plans to deploy RAF Chinook and A400M aircraft for wildfires following a record-breaking 1,350 blazes across England and Wales in 2026.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- UK government to deploy military aircraft for domestic wildfire-fighting
- Civilian fire services across all four nations can request RAF support
- Allocating £45m for lightweight wildfire personal protective equipment
- Announcing a new Wildfires AI Unit linking universities and tech firms
The UK government is set to deploy military aircraft to tackle domestic wildfires as Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepares to outline new emergency measures at the country's first-ever wildfire resilience summit on Friday.
Under the new framework, civilian fire services across all four nations will be granted the authority to request support from the Royal Air Force's Chinook helicopters and A400M transport planes to combat blazes in challenging terrains such as remote moorlands and steep hillsides, addressing a shortage of aerial firefighting resources seen during past months.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
According to figures from the National Fire Chiefs Council, England and Wales recorded 1,350 wildfires this year, representing an all-time high that exceeds last year's total by over 300 and surpasses 2024 figures by more than 1,000. The Met Office reported that summer 2026 was the UK's hottest on record, driven by human-induced climate change which made the extreme heat 130 times more likely to occur.
Alongside aerial assets, the government announced an investment of £45 million in specialized, lightweight personal protective equipment designed specifically for ground firefighters, replacing heavier gear built primarily for structural fires. Ministers have also pledged a £25 million scheme running from April 2027 to April 2029 to restore dried-out peatlands in England as natural firebreaks, alongside financial backing for farmers to establish on-site water ponds.
The integration of heavy military transport aircraft and helicopters into civilian firefighting operations underscores a major shift in how the government views environmental crises. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of out-of-control blazes, traditional civilian response units require cross-sector military and technological backing to protect vulnerable rural communities and critical national infrastructure effectively.
"We cannot put people through another summer like this one."
Andy Burnham
Prime Minister Burnham emphasized the urgency of the new strategy, recalling the devastation in Stourbridge where a wildfire destroyed 19 homes in the West Midlands this past August. Furthermore, the upcoming summit will introduce a specialized "Wildfires AI Unit" uniting academic institutions, technology companies, and officials within the Cobra emergency committee to leverage advanced meteorological forecasts and comprehensive action plans.
Source: BBC Politics
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