Military planes and helicopters to fight wildfires from the sky
What was announced
Military planes and helicopters will take to the skies to fight wildfires for the first time, as we prepare for future extreme weather driven by climate change.
Key points, in the publisher's words
- The RAF’s Chinook helicopters and A400M aircraft will be equipped so they can fight fires and are ready, when requested, to help crews across the UK battle blazes on remote moorland, steep hillsides and other hard-to-reach terrain.
- Firefighters on the front line in England will be boosted by additional specialist wildfire teams and state of the art, wildfire-specific, light weight personal protective equipment, backed by up to £45million, meaning those who work tirelessly to protect others can stay also safe. Unlike their current kit, which is primarily designed for fires in buildings and not meant to be worn for a long time, this will be lighter and more breathable so firefighters can wear for longer periods when tackling
- To stop these fires from happening to begin with, the government will invest more money to make landscapes more resilient. This includes £25 million to restore dried-out peatlands in England so they hold more water and act as natural firebreaks, as well as financial support for farmers to fireproof their land, through digging ponds and removing burnable materials in high-risk areas.
Figures in this announcement
Each line is quoted from the original. Figures are as the publisher stated them on the day.
- “Firefighters on the front line in England will be boosted by additional specialist wildfire teams and state of the art, wildfire-specific, light weight personal protective equipment, backed by up to £45million, meaning those who work tirelessly to protect others can stay also safe.”
- “This includes £25 million to restore dried-out peatlands in England so they hold more water and act as natural firebreaks, as well as financial support for farmers to fireproof their land, through digging ponds and removing burnable materials in high-risk areas.”
- “That’s why we are stepping in and investing £25 million to restore peatlands as well as backing farmers to deliver natural fire safety measures on their land.”
Who and where
People
- Katie White (MP for Leeds North West (Labour)) · more news
- Louise Haigh (MP for Sheffield Heeley (Labour)) · more news
- Wes Streeting (MP for Ilford North (Labour)) · more news
- Dame Angela Eagle (MP for Wallasey (Labour)) · more news
- Andy Burnham (MP for Makerfield (Labour (Co-op))) · more news
- Angela Rayner (MP for Ashton-under-Lyne (Labour)) · more news
UK bodies of power
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (UK government department) · more news
- Ministry of Defence (UK government department) · more news
- Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street (UK national body) · more news
Constituencies of the MPs named: Leeds North West, Sheffield Heeley, Ilford North, Wallasey, Makerfield, Ashton Under Lyne.
Where this sits in the 10 levels of power
Topics, as GOV.UK files them: Fire prevention and rescue.
Receipt
- Original: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/military-planes-and-helicopters-to-fight-wildfires-from-the-sky
- Published 2026-10-22 21:30:00 UTC
- Read by this site 2026-10-23 19:45:24 UTC from GOV.UK
- Saved copy: receipt 792, with its SHA-256 fingerprint
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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