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UK to draft military aircraft to fight wildfires in Cyprus

1 reports1 sources10/22/2026 updated

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The UK government plans to deploy military aircraft to assist with wildfires in Cyprus, accompanied by a £45 million investment in lighter, wildfire-specific personal protective equipment for ground firefighters. The government also aims to restore dried peatlands as natural firebreaks from 2027 to 2029 and fund the digging of fire ponds for farmers. The new equipment is noted to be lighter than current building-fire gear, which is not designed for prolonged wear during wildfires.

Written with AI from the reporting · updated 10/23/2026

Latest developmentOct 23, 05:35
UK plans military aid and £45m equipment boost to combat wildfires
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  1. 1Unclassified fact stationOct 23, 06:56single sourcereport-time onlyrevised

    UK to draft in military aircraft to fight wildfires

    Read original source ↗ BBC PoliticsReplay this moment in the explorer
    Evidence & revisions · 1 source records
    Subject：
    UK government
    Action：
    draft military aircraft to fight wildfires
    Object：
    wildfires in Cyprus
    Occurred (fact side)：
    not recorded
    BBC Politics ↗Report pageRevision 3 · currently revised
    Published (valid side)：
    Oct 23, 05:35
    First seen (known side)：
    Oct 23, 06:56
    Fact stationSingle source · one-sided claimRevisedReport-time only

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Oct 23
  1. BBC PoliticsRelated fact: single sourceFact occurrence time unverifiedSource report revised
    UK plans military aid and £45m equipment boost to combat wildfires

    Report first recorded Oct 23, 06:56

    The UK government announced a £45m investment in wildfire-specific personal protective equipment for firefighters, which is lighter than current building fire gear. Additionally, a £25m scheme from April 2027 to April 2029 will restore dried-out peatlands in England as natural firebreaks, and financial support will aid farmers in fireproofing land, such as by digging ponds. Military aircraft, like RAF Chinook crews who have already assisted in Cyprus, will also help, following concerns raised by MPs about weaknesses in UK wildfire preparedness, including aerial resource access and national coordination.

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