“More adapted to needs”: against fires, an aging air fleet that is slow to be renewed

During the fire near Narbonne, four Canadairs were deployed only on Monday when the blaze broke out, eventually covering 2,100 hectares. According to Colonel Christophe Magny, commander of the Aude SDIS, their absence in the following days was explained in particular by the "national doctrine": "priority is given to the incipient fire," in order to be able to "timely" ensure the availability of the air fleet, "a large part of the national territory (being) exposed to the risk of fire," explains the firefighter.

"The fleet is no longer suited to needs, which are increasing sharply due to global warming," which increases the risk of major forest fires like those recently experienced in the South of France, according to a parliamentary report published at the beginning of July.

Planes running out of steam?

The twelve Canadair aircraft in the Civil Security Service have an average age of 30 years, note the MPs who authored the report, Damien Maudet (LFI) and Sophie Pantel (PS). Few spare parts are available "globally," and "no aircraft have been built since 2015" by the Canadian company that designed this amphibious water bomber in the late 1960s, the parliamentarians add.

Due to their age, these aircraft, which are primarily refueled with seawater, "are becoming increasingly expensive to maintain" and are being grounded "longer," explains Mickaël Biberon, president of Unsa Fire Brigade. He is calling for "a real financial effort" in the next budget law to order aircraft to ensure the "protection of our forests, our population," and to ensure that firefighters can "intervene calmly and safely."

"Uncertainties weigh on the ability to restart production of new aircraft and the respect of their delivery schedule" by the Canadian firm De Havilland, the only one to manufacture the Canadair, observe MPs Damien Maudet and Sophie Pantel.

Other aircraft to be renewed: Beechcraft, these planes which carry out reconnaissance missions and whose average age of 45 years "makes necessary" their "rapid replacement" which must be "anticipated now", and two Dash aircraft, out of the eight in the fleet, which are each about twenty years old. While these water bombers are "particularly suited" to attacking nascent fires, they must be reloaded on the ground, limiting "their tactical use on certain fires", notes the report.

"We ordered two new Canadairs two years ago, and I hope we can order two more," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced Tuesday during a visit to Marseille. These two planes are scheduled for delivery in 2028, explained Grégory Allione, a European MP (Renew) and former president of the National Federation of Firefighters, who is skeptical about the deadline being met.

Canada could prioritize its national and regional demands in favor of the United States, as the North American continent is regularly affected by massive fires, explains Grégory Allione. He advocates for a "Europe of Civil Security." In their report, MPs Damien Maudet and Sophie Pantel also recommend creating a European industry to build water bombers.