Bushfires: NSW, Victoria facing hot and dry summer without high capacity waterbombing helicopter

The nation’s two most populous states are staring down a hot and dry summer without a high-capacity helicopter that can waterbomb fires at night.

The CH-47 Chinook helicopter that was recently in New South Wales has now been contracted out to Orange County. Picture: Supplied

The nation’s two most populous states are facing a hot, dry summer without a high-capacity helicopter that can waterbomb fires at night as the aircraft that had served in NSW and Victoria are now based in Los Angeles.

The NSW Rural Fire Service and the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action cancelled contracts for Chinook CH-47s fitted with tanks earlier this year when the high ­capacity water bombers became unavailable.

The Australian has confirmed the Chinooks are in operation in the US, in Los Angeles in southern California.

A replacement Chinook CH-47 purchased by the NSW RFS for $9m will not be fitted with an internal tank, also known as a belly tank, until next year and will instead rely on a 10,000 litre bucket.

Australian aviation regulations prohibit a Chinook CH-47 carrying the bucket from being operated at night because of the risk of collision.

The $9 million Chinook CH-47 arrives in Australia. It will not be fitted with an internal tank until next year and will instead rely on a 10,000 litre bucket. Picture: David Swift

A spokeswoman for contractor Coulson Aviation said the two Chinooks CH-47s fitted with tanks had become part of the Orange County Fire Authority’s expanded quick reaction unit that ran for 24 hours a day for six months a year.

“This meant this aircraft was no longer available for the Australian fire season but we were willing to substitute it with another CH-47D Chinook,” she said.

“The Chinooks that were contracted in Victoria and NSW last season are both now located in Southern California on contract.”

A spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority confirmed the fire agency was using the high capacity waterbombing helicopter that was previously in NSW.

California has suffered through wildfires over the past couple of years but this year escaped a bad fire season because of wetter than average conditions.

In Australia, authorities are expecting a bad fire season because of the build-up of fuel, especially of fine grass, over three consecutive La Nina events and after heavy rains prevented hazard reduction such as controlled burning.

A NSW RFS spokesman said the internal tank would be fitted in Australia after the looming fire season.

“We are the only fire service in the world to operate its own Chinook aircraft,” he said. “The aircraft this year has already been used to great effect on fires in the state’s north with its 10,000 litre bucket.”

The spokesman said the Bell 412 aircraft would be used for night waterbombing as well as rescue and observation operations this fire season.

The RFS NSW Chinook with the 10,000 litre bucket. Picture: Sean Leathers NPWS/Twitter

The two Chinook CH-47s had been working in NSW and Victoria during the Australian summer before being transported by boat to the US, were they were on contract to the Southern California Counties and the US Forest ­Service.

Larger air tankers and helicopters, such as the Chinook CH-47, are expensive assets and require year-round maintenance.

A Victorian government spokeswoman said the procurement process for the final aircraft would be finalised shortly and the state’s aerial firefighting fleet would come online progressively across the state.

“There is no reduction in the number of firebombing aircraft in Victoria this year compared to last year, and no reduction in waterbombing capacity,” he said.

Fire agencies around the world are moving towards purchasing their own helicopters to lessen their reliance on aircraft contracted overseas as global temperatures rise from climate change.