Introduction

The Turkish Forestry Directorate has acquired a new firefighting helicopter named “Nefes” from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). The helicopter will help safeguard the nation’s forests in the Muğla province located in southwestern Turkey.

Speed and Capacity

The Nefes helicopter can reach a cruising speed of 222 kph (138 mph) and a maximum speed of 358 kph (222 mph). It is capable of dropping up to 2.5 tons of water at a time and can also participate in search-and-rescue operations in addition to firefighting.

First-Ever Firefighting Helicopter in Inventory

The Nefes helicopter is the first-ever firefighting helicopter to be included in the inventory of the Forestry Directorate. The inventory was recently expanded with additional planes and a forest firefighting helicopter in a ceremony held in the capital Ankara in early May.