Greece to buy 7 new waterbombers, upgrade 7 in firefighting fleet
Greece plans to purchase seven De Havilland Canada DHC-515 waterbombers to address the growing number of wildfires across its territory, with deliveries expected to begin in early 2028, it was announced on Tuesday. The country will also upgrade seven existing CL-415 aircraft to the DHC-515 configuration.
At least two of Greece’s new DHC-515s will be integrated into the European civil protection mechanism RescEU and will be available for missions beyond national borders.
The majority of the procurement and upgrade program will be funded by the European Union through the AEGIS initiative.
According to Jean-Philippe Côté, vice president of De Havilland – the manufacturer of the Canadair aircraft – production of Greece’s DHC-515s is already underway.
“We plan to deliver the first DHC-515 aircraft in early 2028. The structural components of the first aircraft are already in production at DHC’s facilities in Calgary, Canada. The first aircraft off the production line will be delivered to Greece,” he told Kathimerini.
In the meantime, flight tests are being conducted on a De Havilland-owned CL-415 that has been upgraded to the 515 configuration. These tests are expected to be completed before the first delivery to Greece.
According to sources, De Havilland is expected to deliver one aircraft every six months.
Kathimerini
