Throughout August, Serbia faced extensive wildfires affecting several parts of the country. One of the most severely affected areas was Deliblatska Peščara, a large protected area in the Vojvodina region, approximately 80 kilometres from Belgrade.
The area is a unique landscape combining sand dunes, forests and open terrain. Extremely dry conditions, high temperatures and strong winds created particularly challenging conditions for firefighting teams.
UH-60 Black Hawk in the Fight Against Wildfires
Due to the scale of the fires and the challenging situation, international assistance was deployed to Serbia. Through the European rescEU programme, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania were involved in the firefighting operations. A total of four Black Hawk helicopters were deployed as part of the international assistance.
The helicopters operated primarily in the Deliblatska Peščara area, where the extensive fire ground and difficult sandy terrain significantly complicated the efforts of ground firefighting units.
Aerial firefighting enabled large quantities of water to be delivered rapidly directly to the fire line, while also supporting ground crews in areas that were difficult or impossible to access with ground vehicles and equipment.
The challenging conditions were further aggravated by high temperatures, prolonged drought, strong winds and the large area affected by the fires. According to available reports, the wildfire in Deliblatska Peščara affected thousands of hectares of forest.
More Than 700,000 Litres of Water Delivered
During 11 days of deployment, three UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters operated by HELI COMPANY took part in intensive aerial firefighting operations.
Over the course of the deployment, the helicopter crews collectively completed:
- more than 89 flight hours
- more than 230 water drops using Bambi buckets
- more than 700,000 litres of water delivered to the fire grounds
These figures represent hundreds of individual sorties and repeated water drops conducted under demanding operational conditions.
Each firefighting mission required precise coordination between the helicopter crews, ground firefighting units and other aircraft operating in the fire area.
International Cooperation
The deployment in Serbia once again demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in responding to large-scale wildfires.
In addition to the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, the operation involved international firefighting teams, ground-based firefighting equipment and other aerial assets.
For HELI COMPANY, the deployment in Serbia provided another valuable operational experience in the use of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for aerial firefighting in challenging conditions.
The ability to deploy rapidly and operate effectively in difficult-to-access terrain makes aerial firefighting an important part of protecting people, the environment and property from large-scale wildfires.
This deployment also demonstrated the importance of operational readiness, experienced flight crews and the ability to work effectively with firefighting and emergency response organisations during large-scale wildfire operations.
