Portugal’s firefighting Canadair aircraft unable to operate in extreme heat

Canadair CL-215 water bombers – previously described as the ‘big guns’ needed in large wildfires – are not, ultimately, the answer for a country at the mercy of increasing heatwaves. They cannot operate when temperatures reach 38C or above.

The ‘revelation’ comes today, in tabloid Correio da Manhã, which had the wit to look at the planes’ Flight Manual after Portugal recently received three Canadairs through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, to help out in the major blaze that raged for days in Vouzela.

Subsequent contacts with the Portuguese Air Force, which manages DECIR (the rural fire combat force) confirmed the situation, saying that what authorities tend to do (when temperatures rise to 38ºC or above) is ‘relocate the Canadairs elsewhere’.

The problem with this explanation is that ‘wildfires’ and ‘extreme temperatures’ increasingly share the same timeframe, thus Canadairs (which the country currently has two of, for this year’s firefighting season, leased through a Spanish company) are destined to be excluded from dramas in which their ‘water bombing capacity’ is truly needed.

As CM explains, the temperature limitation recently prompted the relocation of the two aircraft from the Air Resources Centre in Castelo Branco after temperatures in central Portugal approached and exceeded 40C.

The aircraft had initially been deployed to help combat the Vouzela fire, but were later transferred to Ovar, where cooler conditions allowed them to remain operational, says the paper.

Heat reduces take-off performance

The Portuguese Firefighters League has explained what is behind the conundrum: extreme heat affects aircraft performance by reducing air density, making take-off more demanding, particularly when water bombers are carrying full loads (which are exactly what are needed in a major raging wildfire).

Eduardo Correia, vice-president of the league, stresses that all firefighting aircraft have technical operating limits – adding that Portugal’s use of the ageing CL-215 model “remains understandable given the limited availability of alternative heavy water bombers on the international market”.

Correia acknowledged that relocating aircraft away from high-risk areas inevitably reduces their immediate operational reach, but said the measure is necessary ‘to ensure they could continue flying safely’.

Portugal’s aerial firefighting fleet

Responsibility for managing Portugal’s aerial firefighting fleet has rested with the Portuguese Air Force since October 2018, when the government transferred the role from the National Civil Protection Authority following a resolution by the Council of Ministers under the administration of former prime minister António Costa.

Portugal has also activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism already this year, under which Spain deployed two additional Canadair aircraft to reinforce Portuguese firefighting efforts.

Between June 1 and September 30—covering the high-risk Charlie and Delta phases of Portugal’s wildfire response plan—the country has 78 aircraft available for the immediate aerial suppression of rural fires, and this year, for the first time, the Black Hawk helicopters, purchased under a deal sealed in the days of António Costa, have started coming into operation.

Portugal’s UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters do not have a publicly disclosed ambient-temperature cut-off (although an ‘old’ report published online suggests they can fly in temperatures up to 52ºC). Their operations are instead governed by performance limits based on temperature, altitude and aircraft weight, meaning they can usually continue flying in hotter conditions, albeit sometimes with reduced payloads.

Source material: Correio da Manhã/ Executive Digest/.oocities.org/