Evaluation of Current and Next-Gen Aircraft in a European Wildfire Scenario

Abstract

Wildfires have become an increasingly severe issue in Europe, worsened by climate change, prolonged droughts, and rising temperatures. This escalating problem calls for innovation to increase the effectiveness of wildfire management and mitigation strategies. Traditional firefighting methods, while essential, are often insufficient to tackle the scale and intensity of these fires. This paper explores the sensitivity of the current fleet and if there is the need for novel aircraft solutions to enhance Europe's wildfire response capabilities. The European Union (EU) has recognized the urgent need to address this growing threat through its RescEU initiative, which aims to strengthen the collective response to natural disasters, including wildfires. The RescEU fleet, which is part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, is designed to provide a robust, coordinated and rapid response to emergencies. However, challenges such as logistical coordination, resource allocation and technological limitations hinder its optimal functionality. In light of these challenges, this study evaluates how the RescEU fleet can be deployed or shared in case of one or multiple fires and also evaluates the potential impact of new aircraft products such as Sea Plane and Modified AAM vehicles, from the COLOSSUS Project, examining how they might complement the RescEU fleet and improve Europe Union’s Wildfire Fighting readiness. A System of Systems (SoS) approach using an Agent-Based Simulation is employed in this research to provide a holistic evaluation framework. This methodology enables the integration and coordination of various systems, ensuring that new technologies and existing resources work synergistically. The research questions posed by this study are as follows: • Sensitivity study on RescEU fleet based on single and multiple fire scenario in EU • Is there potential for novel aircraft products to complement existing wildfire fighting fleet in the European context?