The sending by France of two CL-415 water bombers and a Beechcraft 200 King Air liaison and investigation plane to Algeria to fight the fires that are ravaging Kabylia, in particular, is a gesture of symbolic significance and of considerable political importance which did not escape anyone.
Thursday, August 12, around 9:30 am, Pelicans 34 and 39, accompanied by Bengale 97 took off from Nîmes towards Algiers. After the usual formalities, taking instructions and a deserved break, the crews headed east and the town of Béjaïa, whose airport served as a base during the detachment.
The arrival of French planes in Bejaïa. © Civil Security
After Italy (in Sardinia and the region of Rome), Greece, a new Civil Security detachment was therefore triggered and organized. To arm the two water bombers, four crews, working in pairs for the duration of the mission, packed their bags, taking their necessities for a few days.
The initial and announced duration of these missions is often 76 hours, three days, but extensions are frequent. In the present case, the return scheduled for August 15 was announced fairly quickly, especially since the weather forecast for the south of France suggests that the situation could require the presence of all available air resources.
In longer missions, crew and aircraft reliefs are organized, and certain aircraft maintenance deadlines require specialized teams and equipment. The crews, too, need rest, especially in these seasons when activity is high.
As is always the case for these European missions a Beechcraft 200 was joined to the mission with its crew. A team of 7 mechanics from Sabena Technics, the company that manages and maintains the fleet of water bombers in Nîmes, essential for the implementation of planes and small daily maintenance operations, accompanied them.
A mission under the aegis of the European Union
This operation was part of the European extra-community reinforcements ” following a request for assistance presented to the EU civil protection mechanism (MCPU) on August 11, 2021″ by Algeria.
The configuration of the French intervention, two CL-415 and one Beech, called the “European module”, is the contribution of France to the European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP), that is to say, the resources of the members of the EU can be affected in urgent response to different disasters. Note that the European Union has another reserve of resources made available by member nations, RescEU, to which France can contribute with a Dash 8.
“The (European) commission co-finances up to 75% of the transport costs of the deployment.” The operational costs of the detachment, kerosene, accommodation of the crews, are the responsibility of the requesting country.
Difficult missions
French pilots, by law, are subject to flight time limitations and a maximum daily number of drops (60) for flight safety reasons. So the crews share the planes per half day. The operations began in the afternoon of August 12 and in the evening 32 drops had been carried out on three different sectors around villages in the reliefs west of Bejaïa.
The French Canadair has been allocated exclusive action zones. The crews of the King Air “Bengal” did not remain inactive and also flew many hours for the investigation, analysis, and fire location missions.
It involved intervening in steep reliefs “similar to certain areas of Corsica” with fires that could occur around 1000 meters above sea level under intense heat. Altitude and heat, enough to degrade aircraft performance and make missions more difficult!
One more drop on fires of rare intensity. © Civil Security
On Saturday, the two “Pelicans” also operated above the immense forests of the Annaba region, more than 200 km east of Algiers, and in the evening, at the end of their mission, the planes totaled. more than 250 drops, most of them carried out to directly protect villages and houses threatened by the flames, a productivity obtained thanks to the possibility of bailing on the coast very close to the zones of action.
The return of the French detachment took place on Sunday morning.
Soon Algerian Beriev?
Civil Security, therefore, operated in addition to local air resources. These consist of water bomber helicopters, including the Mil Mi 26 equipped with a “bambi bucket” of at least 10 tonnes and supported by other lighter aircraft. Observation helicopters equipped with infrared cameras also carried out a large number of missions on these fires.
Faced with this sudden and brutal crisis, after several dozen deaths, the Algerian government announced its intention to significantly strengthen its air resources and could quickly order 8 Beriev 200.
In the meantime, the Algerian press evokes a proposal for Russian reinforcement without specifying the types of aircraft.
Other reinforcements
Proof that some resentments are still strong, the main Algerian press agency has headlined on the presence of “European Union water bombers”, voluntarily ignoring that these devices came under a French government organization. Certain statements by the Algerian President could even lead one to believe that these planes were… leased. So it is not, but the damage is done.
The European Union announced that the relief of the French planes would be ensured by Spanish means still within the framework of the mechanism of civil protection of the EU (MCPU). A Trush 710P mono-turbine registered in Spain has indeed arrived in Algeria and a second was expected. Another aircraft from Switzerland, possibly a water bomber helicopter, was also announced.
One last photo before the return flight in the Beech 200, a discreet but essential auxiliary to Canadair. © Civil Security
In the mountains of Kabylia, even if several villages have been saved by French airmen, the situation is such that it will take weeks to come to an end to the multiple disasters still in progress. Perhaps it will soon be necessary for the firemen from the sky of Nîmes to cross the Mediterranean again? The fire season is still far from over.
