ADF Fire Bombing Helps Quell NSW Fires

Further successful evaluations were carried out on the following Monday morning using a range of buckets including large capacity 1100 and 1500 litre Monsoon buckets supplied by the New Zealand government (and airfreighted across the Tasman inside a Hercules). Given the success of the Navy’s S-70B Seahawk trials, Army S-70A Black Hawks were also fitted with buckets and used operationally.

The first operational fire bombing missions took place that afternoon when the Navy’s Sea Kings and Seahawks were deployed to fight fires from any number of water sources including rivers, lakes and small farm dams. (Amphibious fixed wing fire bombers still require a flat and open stretch of river or a long lake from which to operate safe while other water bombers require a fixed operating base. ually a reasonable distance from the fire front, plus support infrastructure. ) Navy fire bombing operacions were based from RAAF Richmond in Sydney’s north west. Richmond is home to much of the RAAF’s transport fleet and being a military air base has much infrastructure needed to support the Navy Sea Kings, Squirrels and Seahawks. Lack of space though did mean that there was limited room for mission planning, with members from the three Navy Squadrons involved working in relatively cramped conditions. In deference to their surroundings though it was often remarked that they still had more room available than if they were at sea.

Navy missions began from midday and often lasted until after dark, depending on the location of the fires to be bombed. Operations took place against fires as close as Holsworthy in Sydney’s south, or as far away as the Central Coast, Stroud and the Blue Mountains. Quite often on sorties some distance away from Richmond the Navy helos The Sikorsky S-70 family played an important role in the battle against the fires. Navy Seahawks and Army Black Hawks were highly effective in their adopted role as firebombers, being responsible for saving much property from near-certain destruction. (Defence PR) threatening townships and property on the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains. From that time on the ADF helicopters were used consistently throughout the worst of the bushfires and were instrumental in saving homes from almost definite destruction, while the helos were able to fight fires in remote areas inaccessible by land.

Navy firefighting sorties would typically involve flights of as many as four helicopters. This would involve a Squirrel performing observation, target direction and coordination tasks, plus the Sea King or Seahawk water bombing helos. Missions could last anywhere between three to six hours, depending on which areas the aircraft were sent to. Turna- round time between water drops quite often would be as little as two minutes, the advantages of helicopter fire bombers over fixed wing craft being they could operate would be refuelled by RAAF road tankers. With planning occurring on the run with the areas of greatest threat constantly changing it was commonplace for aircraft to be redeployed to different areas while in flight.

Over the six day period from January 10 more than one million litres of water had been dumped by Navy helicopters.

The Army too played a key role in the firefighting campaign with a number of Black Hawks and veteran Iroquois used to fire bomb areas as far afield as the Central Coast, Kurrajong and the Sutherland region to the south of Sydney. The Army also used the 1000 litre plus Monsoon buckets provided by the RNZAF Aside from water bombing, the ADF helicopters were used in a number of vital communications and support roles. These ranged from evacuating stranded residents and tourists from threatened areas, ferrying emergency and defence personnel, transport of equipment and stores and other general liaison functions.

The RAAF was involved in a number of areas and on a range of occasions C-130 Hercules were used to ferry in volunteer firefighters from interstate. Throughout the danger period 15 Hercules were placed on standby to be used to transport equipment and personnel if needed. Two Caribou were also on standby, and while not used, their STOL capabilities would have allowed them to operate into areas inaccessible to larger aircraft. It is worth mentioning that almost all the ADF personnel had been recalled from leave to fight the fires.

Other non aviation support functions performed by the ADF included troops and sailors relieving fire fighting personnel in back up functions (RAAF personnel, for instance, from Amberley were placed on standby), while four wheel drives, water tankers, bulldozers and transports were put to good use. Furthermore a number of defence establishments provided emergency accommodation for evacuees.