Britain to Deploy Military Aircraft Against Wildfires for the First Time After Its Hottest Summer on Record

LONDON — Britain will use military helicopters and aircraft to fight wildfires for the first time, the government said on Thursday, 22 October 2026, after the country's hottest summer on record, in a step that treats wildfire as a growing national threat fuelled by climate change rather than a rare emergency.

Illustration: A helicopter dropping water over a moorland wildfire, representing Britain's new military wildfire firefighting capability.

What Happened

Britain said on Thursday, 22 October 2026, that it would for the first time use military helicopters and aircraft to fight wildfires, according to Reuters. The Royal Air Force's Chinook helicopters and A400M transport aircraft are to be equipped with wildfire firefighting capability, and the military aircraft are to be available to support emergency services battling blazes in remote areas.

The announcement came with a package of funding and reforms. The government will provide up to £45 million — about $60.15 million — for specialist response teams and firefighter equipment, Reuters reported. It will invest £25 million in peatland restoration and support farmers to reduce wildfire risk. A new artificial intelligence unit will be established to help predict and track wildfires, and the government will work with the Met Office, Britain's national meteorological service, to improve wildfire forecasting and risk assessment.

The context for the decision is a summer that broke records. Britain experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, according to Reuters, and the government described the wildfire threat as being fuelled by climate change. Hot, dry conditions dry out vegetation — especially on moorland and heathland — turning landscapes that once rarely burned into places where fires can spread quickly and resist control.

Background

Wildfire has historically been a limited threat in Britain compared with countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia or southern Europe. The country's damp climate, short dry spells and dense network of roads and settlements meant that most fires were small and quickly contained by local fire services. That picture has been changing as summers grow hotter and drier, and as longer dry periods leave moorland, grassland and forest floor vegetation parched.

Remote terrain is the crux of the problem. Many of Britain's most fire-prone landscapes — upland moors, heathlands and peat bogs — are far from roads and water supplies, making it hard for conventional fire engines to reach a blaze quickly. Helicopters and transport aircraft can carry water to places that ground crews cannot reach, and can support firefighters working in difficult terrain. Until now, however, Britain had not formally equipped its military aircraft for that role, relying instead on civilian fire services and whatever aerial support could be arranged ad hoc.

Illustration: A restored wetland peatland with pools of water and reeds, representing peatland restoration as wildfire prevention.

Peatland is a key part of the story. Peat bogs store vast amounts of carbon, but when they dry out they can burn — sometimes smouldering underground for weeks — releasing that carbon and producing thick smoke. Restoring peatland by rewetting it makes it less flammable and helps it store carbon again, which is why the government's £25 million peatland investment is framed as both a fire-prevention measure and a climate measure. Supporting farmers to reduce wildfire risk points in the same direction: much of Britain's upland landscape is farmed, and how it is managed — grazing, burning regimes, water levels — shapes how easily fire spreads.

The new artificial intelligence unit and the closer work with the Met Office reflect a second shift: from reacting to fires toward predicting them. Better forecasting — combining weather data, vegetation dryness, terrain and ignition risk — can help fire services position crews and equipment before a fire starts, warn the public earlier, and decide when to call in military aircraft. Prediction cannot prevent every fire, but it can shorten the time between ignition and response, which is often what decides whether a fire stays small or becomes a major incident.

Why It Matters

The decision matters first because it marks an official change in how Britain classifies wildfire risk. Deploying military aircraft is not a routine step: it signals that the government now expects wildfires to be a recurring, large-scale threat that civilian services alone may not be able to handle in the worst cases. That framing will shape budgets, training and planning for years to come.

It matters second because it connects a domestic emergency response to the global climate story. The government explicitly linked the move to climate change, and to the hottest summer on record. As temperatures rise, the conditions that produce wildfires — heat, drought, dry vegetation — become more common in places that once considered themselves safe. Britain's experience is therefore a preview for other temperate countries that may face similar decisions in the coming years.

It matters third for the landscapes themselves. Moorland and peatland are not only fire risks; they are habitats, carbon stores and water catchments. Fires damage all three, and recovery can take decades. Investment in peatland restoration and in farming practices that reduce fire risk is an attempt to treat the cause — dry, degraded landscapes — rather than only the symptom of flames.

There are also practical questions the announcement raises. Military aircraft are a finite resource with other duties, and their availability during a major fire season will depend on competing demands. Equipping Chinooks and A400Ms for firefighting, training crews, and integrating military support with civilian fire services will take time and coordination. The funding figures — up to £45 million for response teams and equipment, £25 million for peatland — are starting points, not a complete solution, and their adequacy will be tested by the next severe fire season.

What Happens Next

The immediate next steps are practical: equipping the Chinook helicopters and A400M transport aircraft with firefighting capability, standing up the specialist response teams, and establishing the new artificial intelligence unit for wildfire prediction and tracking. The government will also deepen its work with the Met Office on forecasting and risk assessment, so that warnings and deployments can be based on better data.

Illustration: Weather forecasting control room with fire-risk maps on large screens, representing improved wildfire prediction and tracking.

The peatland programme will unfold over a longer timescale. Restoring a bog — blocking drains, rewetting the surface, re-establishing sphagnum moss — is slow work, and its fire-prevention benefits build up over years rather than weeks. Farmers, land managers and conservation groups will be central to that work, and the details of the support on offer will determine how widely it is taken up.

For the public, the most visible change will come the next time a major wildfire breaks out in a remote area: military aircraft overhead, dropping water where fire engines cannot reach. Whether that becomes a routine sight or remains a rare one will depend on the weather — and, over the longer term, on whether the world manages to slow the warming that made Britain's hottest summer on record possible.

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FAQ

What has Britain decided about wildfires?

Britain said on 22 October 2026 that it would for the first time use military helicopters and aircraft to fight wildfires, after its hottest summer on record. RAF Chinook helicopters and A400M transport aircraft are to be equipped with firefighting capability to support emergency services in remote areas.

How much funding was announced?

The government will provide up to £45 million (about $60.15 million) for specialist response teams and firefighter equipment, and £25 million for peatland restoration and support for farmers to reduce wildfire risk, according to Reuters.

Why is peatland restoration part of a wildfire plan?

Dried-out peat bogs can burn and smoulder for weeks, releasing stored carbon. Rewetting and restoring peatland makes it less flammable, helps it store carbon again, and protects habitats and water catchments.

What will the new AI unit do?

The new artificial intelligence unit is to help predict and track wildfires, working alongside improved forecasting and risk assessment developed with the Met Office, Britain's national meteorological service.

Is wildfire now a permanent threat in Britain?

The government frames the threat as growing and fuelled by climate change, following the hottest summer on record. Whether military firefighting becomes routine will depend on future fire seasons and on longer-term warming.

Sources

• Reuters, "Britain to use military aircraft to fight climate change-fuelled wildfires" (22 October 2026): first-time military use, RAF Chinook helicopters and A400M transport aircraft, remote-area support, up to £45 million for response teams and equipment, £25 million peatland restoration and farmer support, new AI unit for prediction and tracking, Met Office forecasting cooperation, hottest summer on record.