Türkiye’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry plans to bolster its fleet of aircraft and helicopters as a precaution against the chronic issue of forest fires – which affected Mediterranean town resorts along the coast of Muğla and Antalya provinces in 2021, a senior official announced Thursday.

Recep Ateş from the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) stated that nearly 70 aircraft will be deployed in vulnerable areas along the coastline and inland to combat blazes.

Ateş, who participated in a workshop on the protection of the biological diversity in northwestern Çanakkale province, told reporters that they continue to prepare for the 2023 forest fire season.

Noting that several aircraft have been acquired besides helicopters, Ateş said that they also reinforced preparedness with leased vehicles.

"Apart from that, we added 300 more vehicles to our new fleet of land vehicles, water tankers and pickup trucks," he added.

"This season we will have a fleet of nearly 70 aircraft. Some of them are being changed as they have been leased. They are to be deployed along the coastline from Hatay to Çanakkale and Istanbul, which are known as high-risk areas," Ateş explained.

Adding that the aircraft will be stationed in fire-prone forest locations such Kütahya, Balıkesir, Bursa, Eskişehir and Ankara, Ateş said that partial deployment would begin as of May, and others will start in June.

"According to the sensitivity and risk considerations, some aircraft will commence missions in July. From May 15 to June 1, our ground vehicles and teams will begin assuming protective positions across the country. Our watchtowers will commence monitoring missions starting on May 1," Ateş noted.

In addition, according to reports from Demirören News Agency (DHA), two local and national T-70 helicopters, four Air Tractor model airplanes and one manned reconnaissance aircraft will be delivered to the OGM by the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) in a ceremony scheduled for the first week of May.

Within the scope of the contract between the two parties, 10 local helicopters will be delivered to the OGM within five years.

Apart from aircraft and helicopter-based aerial support to contain possible forest fires, according to DHA, eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are set to boost the fleets. At the same time, it was noted that in addition to 25,000 personnel deployed on land, around 1,370 water trucks, over 1,000 construction equipment vehicles and around 2,300 first response vehicle units would be ready to serve.