In order not to relive the dramatic fires of previous summers, six planes were ordered from a Russian supplier. Faced with the delay in delivery, Algiers must find emergency solutions.
After several consecutive summers marked by dramatic fires , Algeria thought it was ready for 2023. Indeed, during the summer of 2021, it had officially announced the order of four water bombers from the Russian manufacturer Beriev Aircraft Company: capacity of 12,000 liters each, equipped with a specific seawater supply, all for 240 million dollars (229 million euros).
Yet this week, we learned that the authorities had just started urgent procedures for the chartering (in the form of rental) of six Chilean fire-fighting planes – including the crew. Devices with a capacity of 3,000 liters which will be delivered from June 15. The confirmation that the order made to Russia cannot be fully honored in 2023 is at the origin of this sudden rush.
Emergency contracts
“We were able to acquire the engine manufactured in Ukraine and transfer it to Russia for assembly”, specified, on May 2, the Minister of the Interior and Local Authorities, Brahim Merad, confirming that it is the crisis in Ukraine. which is the cause of the delay in receiving the first aircraft. Which should be delivered, but probably well after the start of the fire season: it was only at the end of April that the Russian supplier released images of the test flight of the Beriev Be-200, which was initially supposed to land in Algeria in December 2022. Three other aircraft were, theoretically, to be delivered during the first quarter of 2023.
Faced with this unforeseen delay, the Head of State Abdelmadjid Tebboune decided, during the Council of Ministers on April 30, to urgently resort to rental contracts so as not to repeat the dramatic failure of summer 2021, when the Algeria found itself helpless in the face of gigantic fires. Tens of thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed in 26 out of the 58 wilayas in the country, leading to the death of at least 90 people, including 33 soldiers.
That summer, the authorities had been able to count on the reinforcement of two French water bombers and another Spanish aircraft. Arrived on August 12, 2021, these had proven to be crucial in the fight against the flames. However, it is now excluded to ask for help from Spain, the friendship treaty which has bound the two countries for twenty years having been broken on June 8, 2022.
Ten airstrips
In addition to anticipating problems by betting on Russian-made aircraft, the choice of the Beriev company was motivated by the ability of its aircraft to intervene against forest fires in extreme and complex weather conditions. The Algerian authorities were looking for water bombers adapted to the topography of the country, characterized by areas difficult to access for ordinary aircraft.
For lack of delivery on time, and in addition to the rental of the Chilean aircraft, the Ministry of the Interior plans to mobilize 22 helicopters from the National Gendarmerie, as well as four others, of the Augusta type, belonging to the Civil Protection, and six Mil MI26 Russians provided by the Department of National Defense.
The country has also launched work on the construction of ten airstrips across the country, which should be operational at the beginning of June. 8,294 forest officers and 15,000 firefighters will cover the eastern, western, and central regions of the country. 3,523 water points are planned. However, it remains to be able to supply them, in a general context of serious water shortages.
