NSW Rural Fire Service aircraft and aviation personnel have departed for France to assist with major wildfire operations, marking the service’s first operational deployment to Europe.
A CH-47D Chinook firefighting helicopter and a Bell 412 reconnaissance and support aircraft left Sydney following a formal request for international assistance from the French Government.
The aircraft are being transported with support from the Australian Defence Force and are accompanied by 24 aviation specialists, including pilots, engineers, maintenance personnel and operational support staff.
The deployment comes as France and other parts of Europe experience a severe summer fire season, with large fires forcing evacuations and placing substantial pressure on local emergency services.
First NSW RFS operational deployment to Europe
The NSW Government describes the mission as a historic first for the Rural Fire Service.
While NSW personnel and aircraft have previously supported wildfire operations in North America, the French deployment is the first time RFS aviation capability has been sent to Europe for an operational firefighting mission.
According to RFS Commissioner Trent Curtin, it will also be the first deployment of aircraft capable of night-time aerial waterbombing during wildfire operations in France.
The Chinook will provide heavy-lift waterbombing capability, while the Bell 412 will support reconnaissance, coordination, personnel transport and other operational requirements.
The precise duration and operating locations of the mission have not yet been publicly confirmed.
Chinook brings heavy waterbombing capability
The CH-47D Chinook is among the largest aircraft in the NSW RFS-owned aviation fleet.
Following modifications to its water-delivery system, it can carry approximately 11,000 litres of water or fire retardant and deploy the load directly onto active fire areas.
Its twin-rotor design also allows it to transport firefighting crews, equipment and supplies to locations that may be difficult to reach by road.
The RFS has been developing locally based aviation crews and maintenance expertise partly because increasingly overlapping fire seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres can limit access to overseas aircraft and personnel.
The accompanying Bell 412 is designed for a broader support role and can assist with fire intelligence, mapping, crew movement and incident coordination.
Night operations expected to expand response options
The deployment is expected to introduce night-time aerial waterbombing capability into French operations.
Flying after dark can allow suppression work to continue when temperatures are lower, winds may ease and fire behaviour can become less intense.
However, night firefighting requires specially trained pilots, aircraft, ground crews and detailed risk controls.
The aircraft will operate within the French incident-management and aviation safety system rather than independently.
The NSW team’s role will be determined by local commanders and changing operational conditions.
France previously supported Australia
The deployment also reflects reciprocal international emergency-management arrangements.
French personnel assisted Australia during the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires, and Australian ministers have presented the current mission as an opportunity to return that support.
Other countries have also responded to France’s request for assistance. Switzerland, for example, announced the deployment of firefighting helicopters after receiving an approach from French civil protection authorities in late July 2026.
International deployments allow countries facing severe fire conditions to temporarily strengthen their fleets without permanently maintaining enough aircraft for the most extreme seasons.
NSW personnel already supporting the United States
The French deployment forms part of a broader Australian response to wildfires across the northern hemisphere.
NSW personnel from the Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service and State Emergency Service are already working in the United States in specialist incident-management roles.
A second NSW contingent is scheduled to leave for the United States on 11 August.
That deployment is expected to include an Incident Management Team, field supervisors and arduous firefighters qualified to work directly on active firegrounds.
The NSW RFS has a history of supporting North American wildfire operations. During the 2023–24 reporting period, it deployed 105 personnel to Canada and provided staff and aircraft assistance to several other Australian and international jurisdictions.
Additional personnel preparing for Canada
A separate Australian contingent is also expected to deploy to Canada.
The announcement states that the Canadian team will leave later in the week, although its final personnel numbers, deployment location and mission duration have not been specified.
NSW has previously sent firefighters, aviation specialists and incident-management personnel to Canada through Australia–New Zealand international resource-sharing arrangements.
In July 2024, 31 NSW personnel joined a wider 116-person Australian and New Zealand contingent assisting Canadian authorities during a season involving hundreds of active wildfires.
The present deployment should therefore be described as an expansion of established North American cooperation, while the French mission represents the new European milestone.
Large Air Tanker remains active in the United States
The NSW RFS-owned Boeing 737 Large Air Tanker, Marie Bashir, continues to support firefighting operations in the United States.
According to the latest government announcement, the aircraft has delivered more than 1.4 million litres of fire retardant across 32 fires in two states during the current deployment.
These figures have been supplied by the NSW Government and had not yet appeared in a separate publicly indexed RFS operational report at the time of writing.
The Marie Bashir has previously undertaken major North American deployments.
During an earlier United States mission, it assisted with 37 fires across six states and dropped more than 1.23 million litres of suppressant.
The aircraft is permanently owned by the NSW Government and normally based at RAAF Base Richmond. It has a retardant capacity of approximately 15,000 litres.
Government says NSW preparedness will be maintained
The NSW and Australian governments say the international deployments have been planned so they do not compromise domestic readiness ahead of the Australian bushfire season.
NSW will retain other aircraft, incident-management specialists and frontline firefighters, while hazard-reduction and preparedness work continues.
That is a government operational assurance rather than an independently assessed finding.
Preparedness will depend on seasonal conditions, aircraft availability, volunteer and staff capacity, and whether additional personnel or equipment are required at home before the overseas deployments conclude.
Australian emergency authorities regularly use national coordination arrangements to move resources between jurisdictions during periods of elevated risk. NEMA reported that the 2025–26 higher-risk weather season required prolonged national coordination across bushfires, storms, floods and tropical cyclones.
International cooperation amid overlapping fire seasons
The deployment highlights the growing importance of international resource sharing as wildfire seasons become more intense and increasingly overlap across hemispheres.
NSW Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said the mission demonstrated the state’s aviation, incident-management and specialist firefighting expertise.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said Australia was responding to France in the same spirit of cooperation shown to Australian communities during Black Summer.
RFS Commissioner Trent Curtin said international deployments strengthened professional relationships that could become critical when Australia next required assistance.
The French mission is already underway, while the further deployments to Canada and the United States remain scheduled and subject to final operational arrangements.
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