Ukraine sends AN-32P aircraft to fight wildfires in Portugal

Ukraine has offered to assist Portugal in extinguishing large-scale wildfires. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Ukraine plans to send a firefighting aircraft from the State Emergency Service to Portugal.

The country is suffering from massive fires that have spread across the central and northern parts, resulting in casualties. The Ukrainian Minister explained that heat and strong winds are complicating firefighting efforts.

“The State Emergency Service has a specialized firefighting aircraft and trained professionals for working in such conditions,” said Ihor Klymenko.

According to him, following instructions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he met with the Ambassador of Portugal to Ukraine, António Vasco Alves Machado.

The minister emphasized that Ukrainian rescuers have gained unique experience dealing with emergencies during the full-scale invasion.

Thousands of firefighters have been deployed in Portugal to combat the large-scale wildfires. Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has declared a natural disaster in the most affected regions.

Ukraine’s rescuers have an AN-32P aircraft for combating such fires.

This Ukrainian firefighting aircraft is based on the AN-32 platform. It is equipped with four detachable external tanks, each 2,000 liters in capacity.

Fire-extinguishing liquid can be discharged from all tanks simultaneously or sequentially at a specified interval.

Since 2022, Ukraine’s Emergency Service aviation, which was evacuated from Nizhyn in time, has been operating in the European Union. Since 2008, four AN-32P planes have been part of the special aviation unit of the Emergency Service of Ukraine, according to Militarnyi.

Before Russia’s all-out war, Ukrainian AN-32P aircraft were involved in firefighting in various countries. In 2021, Ukraine sent such planes to Turkiye to combat wildfires.

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