Greece will strengthen its ability to fight wildfires by having 15 more aircraft than last year, after the government paid an old debt that accumulated over a six-year period.

Because of internal problems, some say corruption, instead of contracting for firefighting aircraft within their own government, between 2011 and 2016 Greece leased air tankers and helicopters through NATO’s Security and Procurement Agency (NSPA). However, according to Athens News, during that period a €8.4 million debt accumulated and NSPA stopped providing the aircraft to Greece. It recently got to the point where according to NSPA regulations, the other NATO countries were going to have to pay the debt. But in January Greece paid what was owed and the NSPA issued a tender for 76 million euros on behalf of Greece’s Hellenic Fire Service. Applications closed February 21.

This year the Hellenic Fire Service expects to have twenty Air Tractor single engine air tankers (up from six last year) and eight Bell helicopters (up from six last year) which have an integrated water tank and can also carry personnel. This year they will once again lease two large Air-Crane helicopters, an ATR 42-500 fixed wing transport aircraft, and a Russian Beriev Be-200 amphibious scooping air tanker (as it did last year).

These aircraft will add to the twenty helicopters (twelve medium and eight heavy) already leased by NSPA under a previous ongoing tender, as well as to the “permanent” fleet of aircraft and helicopters in the country. Thus, the total number of aerial firefighting aircraft this year will increase to 93 from 78 in 2021 (+15).

In 2021 Greece experienced devastating fires beginning in early August, burning 309,000 acres which approached the sum of the burned areas of the previous eight years (2013 – 2020).

Below is a report about the blazes posted by the New York Times August 9, 2021.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.