Bushfires NT: Impressive water bombing demonstration at Hughes Airfield

A historic Second World War airfield near Darwin was given a thorough soak when a pair of planes soared below the tree canopy to conduct water bombing training. Watch the video.

Less than 30 minutes from Darwin, a historic Second World War airfield became the target for a couple of highly trained pilots who used the historic tarmac to co-ordinate precision water bombing.

On Saturday, Bushfires NT provided its members and partner agencies the opportunity to observe the effects of water bombing at a distance similar to what is experienced by crews combating wildfires at Hughes Airfield.

The first of the two drops was a string drop – aimed to delay low intensity fires.

Bushfires NT aircraft conducting a water bombing activity.

The impressive demonstration stretched along the tarmac hundreds of metres and left a perfectly straight trail of foam.

The second drop, however, otherwise known as a full-salvo dump, was far more intense.

Used to disrupt intense fires, up to 3000 litres was dropped in a small, tight area, which soaked the delighted observers – and the GT Mustang of a team member.

The training activity comes after it was revealed Bushfires NT responded to 904 wildfires in 2023 – more than double the number of wildfires recorded in 2022.

Minutes after the demonstrations were completed, team members were back to work after they were informed a fire had broken out near Adelaide River.

Bushfires NT aircraft conducting a water bombing activity.

Bushfires NT manager for aviation Michael Carter told the NT News that water bombing was used to assist the “ground troops”, rather than fight the battle alone.

“The planes and helicopters won’t put out the fires by themselves,” he said.

“They’re there to assist the hard working men and women on the ground by knocking down the more intense fires.”

For the public’s awareness, Mr Carter stressed that the airspace needed to be clear for any waterbombing activity, with drones and lasers some of the risks that could disrupt firefighting efforts.

Originally published as Bushfires NT: Impressive water bombing demonstration at Hughes Airfield