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Russian Il-76 aircraft arrives in Serbia to fight Deliblatska peščara fires
🇷🇸 Serbia /Disasters & Emergencies

Russian Il-76 aircraft arrives in Serbia to fight Deliblatska peščara fires

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A powerful Russian firefighting aircraft, an Il-76, has arrived in Serbia to assist in combating wildfires.
  • The aircraft can drop up to 42 tons of water in a single pass, making it one of the most capable firefighting planes available.
  • It will coordinate with Serbia's Interior Ministry helicopter unit to tackle fires, particularly in the Deliblatska peščara region.

A formidable Russian Il-76 aircraft, described as one of the most powerful firefighting planes, has landed in Serbia to aid in the battle against wildfires. The specialized aircraft, belonging to Russia's Ministry of Civil Protection, Emergency Situations, and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, arrived at the "Constantine the Great" airport in Niš.

From tomorrow, the Il-76 will be involved in firefighting operations in Deliblatska peščara, in coordination with the Helicopter Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia.

— Ivica DačićAnnouncing the deployment of the Russian firefighting aircraft.

Its deployment is set to begin immediately, with the Il-76 scheduled to join operations in the Deliblatska peščara region starting tomorrow. The operation will be coordinated with the Helicopter Unit of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs. This collaboration aims to leverage the aircraft's significant capacity to control widespread fires more effectively.

Serbia's Interior Minister, Ivica Dačić, highlighted the aircraft's capabilities on Instagram, noting its ability to discharge up to 42 tons of water in a single sortie. He emphasized that this capacity surpasses that of available firefighting planes within the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism. The minister stated that such a powerful asset is crucial for large fire sites like Deliblatska peščara, enabling firefighters on the ground to gain control more rapidly.

the plane can drop up to 42 tons of water in one pass, making it one of the most powerful operational aircraft for firefighting, considering that within the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism, there are no available firefighting aircraft of this capacity.

— Ivica DačićHighlighting the Il-76's significant water-dropping capability compared to EU resources.

The arrival of the Il-76 signifies a significant boost to Serbia's firefighting resources. Its role will be to cover extensive affected areas quickly, providing critical support to ground crews battling the blazes. This international cooperation underscores the shared challenge of managing natural disasters and the importance of mutual assistance in emergency situations.

In large fire sites, like Deliblatska peščara, its role is to cover a wide affected area in a short time and enable firefighters on the ground to bring the fire under control more easily.

— Ivica DačićExplaining the strategic importance of the aircraft in combating large wildfires.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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