According to the Portuguese Air Force (FAP), these are UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that allow the transport of a team of 12 fully equipped firefighters and the capacity to transport up to 2,950 litres of water per launch, in addition to having a flight autonomy of 2:30.

The new helicopter will be based in Ovar and, in the coming weeks, will undergo a testing phase until final acceptance by the Air Force, explains the FAP in a statement, highlighting that the delivery of the remaining helicopters is scheduled for the end of 2026.

The FAP indicates that the crew of Squadron 551 are currently in the phase of acquiring essential qualifications for the operation of the air vehicle and fulfilment of their respective missions, expecting this phase to be completed next year, highlighting that aerial combat of rural fires and “the projection of forces on the ground are extremely demanding missions, which require a prolonged training and qualification plan, which guarantees the fulfilment of operations efficiently and safely”.

In 2018, the Portuguese Government transferred the State's own resources for fighting rural fires to the Air Force. In this sense, contracts were signed for the acquisition of six UH-60 Black Hawk, largely financed with funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), with the first two helicopters delivered in November 2023 and the third in December 2024. In September last year, the Air Force signed the contract for the acquisition of three more UH-60 Black Hawk medium bomber helicopters through the public tender authorized by the Council of Ministers Resolution, also with funds from the RRP, thus increasing the fleet to nine.