The tender process for the purchase of three firefighting aircraft is currently under way, with one of the aircraft to be financed through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, permanent secretary of the ministry of agriculture and rural development, Andreas Gregoriou, said on Friday.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Gregoriou said the tender forms part of a broader strategy to acquire a total of ten government-owned aerial firefighting assets within the next five years, with an option included for the purchase of a further five aircraft.

Referring to this year’s fire season, he said that 13 primary aerial firefighting assets were available for operations, comprising nine fixed-wing aircraft and four helicopters.

In addition, helicopters of the National Guard and the police were on standby as secondary support when required.

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Gregoriou also highlighted the role of technology in helping combat wildfires, noting that a comprehensive plan is in place to strengthen forest surveillance systems, improve early fire detection and ensure real-time image transmission to operations centres.

He said phase one of the plan has already been completed and includes, among other things, the development of a basic wireless data transmission network, the installation of four fire detection sensors in forested areas and the procurement of five drone systems.

Phase two of the programme, he added, includes actions involving the forestry department, the fire brigade and the National Guard.

For the forestry department, these include the installation of 15 additional automatic fire detection systems, the development of specialised risk prediction and fire simulation software, the procurement of two observation balloons and three mobile operations centres, as well as upgrades to existing drone systems and the department’s general operations centre.

New IT and network equipment will also be supplied for both personnel and all new assets.

Gregoriou said that with the start of this year’s high-risk fire period, the Tetra telecommunications system has been introduced at the forestry department.

“This system will significantly improve internal communication, particularly interdepartmental cooperation as relates to fire management,” he said.

He also pointed to a substantial strengthening of the department’s ground firefighting resources in recent years.

Between 2023 and today, and through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the department has acquired 25 specialised all-terrain firefighting vehicles with a two-tonne water capacity, eight tracked bulldozers, four (4) wheeled excavators, four (4) transport platforms for heavy machinery, six water tankers with a 12-tonne capacity, six agricultural tractors and 75 personnel transport vehicles.

In addition, 17 large fire engines with a six-tonne water capacity are expected to be delivered in 2026, 12 of which will be funded through the Recovery and Resilience Facility and five through national funding.

Three agricultural tractors have also been purchased using national funds, while two trucks/platforms for transporting machinery and ten rapid response fire vehicles have recently been delivered.

Weather conditions, combined with the abandonment of rural areas and changes in land use, are contributing to increasingly challenging fire seasons in recent years, he concluded.

Grigoriou said climate change is also having a direct impact on Cyprus. “Unfortunately, climate change is observed in every corner of the planet, and it is no different in Cyprus. Temperatures are climbing and rainfall is decreasing,”

“These conditions have an impact on fires, causing changes in their frequency and intensity. Large-scale fires are becoming more commonplace.”