Two Black Hawk helicopters are on standby to boost significantly the Country Fire Service (CFS) aerial fleet’s bushfire-fighting capability this summer.
Announcing the increased protection, Minister for Emergency Services Vincent Tarzia said two Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters, operated by South Australian company Aerotech, were now on standby for deployment across the State.
“These Black Hawks are revolutionary firefighting assets because of their quickfire capability,” Mr Tarzia said.
“Black Hawks can deploy in just five minutes, surpassing the ability of other Type 1 firefighting helicopters, meaning CFS volunteers on the ground have greater aerial support for longer periods,” he said.
“Each helicopter has a top speed of 360 km/h and can hold 4,000 litres of water or retardant.
“They can refill from a tank or dam in just 35 seconds and the accuracy of water drops is pinpoint.”
Chief Officer of the CFS, Mark Jones said the Black Hawks were the “next generation” of aerial firebombers.
“The CFS has utilised helicopter firebombing aircraft since 2006,” Mr Jones said.
“Our aircraft are key factors in helping to slow the speed of fires so our ground troops can safely get in and extinguish them,” he said.
“The speed of response and flexibility of the Black Hawks will provide greater capability for our other 25 aircraft across South Australia.”
Mr Tarzia said the Black Hawks would be based in the Adelaide Hills and contracted to the CFS on a multi-year contract for an 84-day period.
He said a Large Air Tanker (LAT) would also be based in Australia on year-round standby for aerial assaults on bushfires across the country.
