Meus senhores façam o favor de ler este artigo .
The geography of Continental Portugal give to the Helicopter the most important rule in firefighting and medical evacuation, because there is significant space to land and to make permanent or temporary bases. With water and fuel near by, without a need of a big aerial base and with the experience of years of war using light and middle weight helicopters, that machine makes sense that will be the spearhead in a variety of aerial functions even before all types of aircraft. I suposed that when the ANPC fleet was buy the intention has that, but the problem was that all the rest as wrong and the result was to much money spent in crap and a bunch of helicopters that only half are in fly conditions.
First ANPC doesn't need a fleet. Without armed forces only medical evacuation make sence to have helicopters. FAP, NAVY and UALE (20 years without an helicopter and still runs), should provide part of the means to police, firefighter, ANPC and others in a special situation (like MEDVAC). MAI also may use Armed Forces material but i see some logical in a small number of helicopters (i don't think they need but it gives some independence to police), manage and with assistance from military.
But back to aeial firefighting, the Puma's case are one example how bad things are made in Portugal. We are talking about helicopters who were from war but they were 3 times modified since the 70's, with Super Puma engines, radar (was made to lauch exocet, that Portugal never buy to France) and structural re-enforce. When FAP bought the Merlin, nobody wanted Puma's. Ridiculus is that UALE to this day doesn't have one single helicopter (again, for more than 20 years!!!), and that since the last fligh of 5 Puma's in 2006 all of them are in Beja Air Base without any use. Then the Ka32/Ecureuil to EMA, when UALE had a struture, pilots and a base in Tancos, first to Ec635 and then to Nh90, two helicopters that never were used by Army, because political and budget problems.
Then the service problems with EMA fleet, for those to operate with helicopters or truks was the same, because they don't have an idea what it needs to mantain 10 aerial machines 3 or 4 moths in a single year. Funny is that the "gigs" who talk about FAP, C130H and the MAFFS use (to blaim FAP the most of the times), are in silence about EMA, the helicopters, service, organization and other stuff talked a few chapters ago.
When a fleet of 10 helicopters had less than half in fly conditions, 2 were lost and only one is possible to be "saved from the hangar", what is wrong? Let's face it, how the hour fly cost is above 35 000 euros to a KA32 (more than the 31 to 35 000 USD of the F35 fighter!!!). Why, helicopters with about 10 years of operation are with problems, since de structure, to the interior, passing by other components? Lots of people say to sell them. Sell them why? In Korea three instituctions have them in service (including Korean air Force), they used to several missions including aerial firefighter, and the Kamov from forest service and Korean Air Force were in 2015 prepared to fight aerial firefighter at nigh (the Korean have acess to all american helicopters, but prefer the russian one to this mission). so it's a Portuguese problem not a type or other nations problem.
The truth? Aqquisition of EMA fleet and his subsquent mantenance made rich many people but to taxpayers was and is still is a nightmare. If Puma's and Aloutte III were used, the service with spares and motors were with 30 to 40 years of experiênce in the country, and even in UALE or MAI, FAP have been call tho give the formation. If they were used by FAP, better, because we see problems in the use of Merlin or Lynx (is from navy but based in a FAP base), but not the ones with Kamov and Ecureuil. Service with the factory and russian or french personel were never made in EMA, and in all private hands, was the minimum. So, the result is what we see: More than half of the fleet doesn't fly and the money is still going.
In conclusion, if this year was not a hot one, if the fires doesn't burn in Portugal like in a "Greak tragedy", all this matter will be the same in the last years (forgot, was he said). But is still more complex that just the aerial firefighter. First the prevention that is a mirage in this nation, is made one or two moths by year and of course its a zero result. Then, the state that is the owner of 56% of the forest doesn't now (they think that only 10% are public and the rest private). In fact 10 to 20% of forest area are public and state doesn't now were it is. So, how can you made prevention of land we doesn't now is yours and where it is? And prevention in protected areas? The portuguese law is heavy when a land owner cut forest in a reserve. But the objective of this article is not to talk about Portugal and the country forest, so we speak a few only to bee seen the shelf that the territory (and other stuff), is in this nation.
Prevention and all is mesures is only possible when we know the land and is owner. About privates, he have the knowledge that species in forest like pine tree and oak is replace by eucalyptus, a tree to timber and cellulose companies not for the environment, with the government doing nothing. When the fires came, all the growend conditions (not to talk about interests established), are great to a catastrophe (as he see live year after year).
But even in a organized forest we need means to combat the fires, in land and air. And is this last one that we are talking about in here. Again, see the american way, it makes sense to Portugal, give FAP an active place in this area when theres an emergency, and the privates have their place too, for the forest, the people and more important, the country.
http://mimilitary.blogspot.pt/2017/01/why-aerial-firefight-in-portugal-are.htmlAbraços
