Ready for the 2026 Wildfire Season

The 2026 wildfire season is well underway – readiness began back in April. After several years of dry spells and high fire risk across large parts of the country, HeliAir Sweden stands ready once again this year – with firefighting helicopters, Sweden’s most experienced crews and the capacity to operate across the whole country.

The helicopter – one of the most effective tools against wildfires

When a wildfire breaks out, time is the decisive factor. A helicopter can be airborne shortly after the alarm and drop water exactly where it does the most good, long before ground crews can reach the fire in difficult terrain. Refilling from nearby lakes and waterways, a single helicopter can drop large volumes of water per hour, and several helicopters working together can hold back a fire until the fire brigade’s ground forces take over.

The most experience in Sweden

HeliAir Sweden is the helicopter operator that has flown the highest number of firefighting hours in Sweden. All our pilots are certified in aerial fire fighting and train regularly on every element of the mission – from water pickup and drops to coordination with the incident command of the rescue services.

National readiness

For several years, HeliAir Sweden has been a supplier to the national helicopter readiness for forest fire fighting coordinated by MCF, the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (formerly MSB). During the wildfire season, the readiness comprises at least ten firefighting helicopters positioned around the country according to the current fire risk. We go on standby as soon as MCF issues a decision to activate it, and the helicopters can then be deployed at short notice wherever they are needed most.

Equipment and capacity for the 2026 season

• Around ten helicopters that can be deployed against fires at short notice, out of a fleet of more than 30 helicopters
• 21 Bambi buckets of our own, with capacities from 1,000 up to 1,750 litres depending on helicopter type
• Tanker trucks carrying 18-20 cubic metres of fuel for sustained operations in the field
• Infrared thermal imaging to locate hotspots and remaining fire pockets after extinguishing
• Transport of personnel and equipment, plus sling loads of up to 1,750 kg

The whole country as our operating area

We operate across all of Sweden – from the northern parts of the country all the way down to the south. With bases in several locations around the country, we can quickly be on site where fires break out.

Does your municipality or rescue service need support from the air, or would you like to know more about our operations during the 2026 season? Read more about our aerial fire fighting or contact us directly.