Overview
- The interior minister signed the order on Thursday in Nîmes for two additional De Havilland DHC-515 Canadairs that the government says will arrive in 2032–2033.
- Those aircraft add to two DHC-515s ordered in 2024 that are due in April and November 2028 as part of a plan to reach a 16‑plane amphibious fleet for the Sécurité civile.
- The ministry put the new purchase at roughly €200 million and says the government will use a mix of buys, leases and hired helicopters to keep operations running while waiting for deliveries.
- For summer 2026 the state will deploy 12 Canadairs daily, repositioned by Météo‑France risk forecasts, and will host four EU forest‑fire modules plus foreign firefighter contingents.
- Firefighter unions and experts say the pace of procurement and cuts to SDIS investment support are insufficient, raising calls for a faster French and European production strategy as wildfire risk spreads northward after large 2022 and 2025 seasons.