New British helicopters arrive in Cyprus to fight fires

The first flight of the new Jupiter HC Mk2 helicopter took place at the British base in Akrotiri. The aircraft will gradually replace the heavy Chinook, which are currently used to fight forest fires in Cyprus.

A total of three H145 Jupiter helicopters will be based there. They will be able to carry out not only firefighting tasks, but also search and rescue operations, reconnaissance and emergency response. The new aircraft are expected to fully take over the firefighting mission by the 2027 fire season.

The Royal Air Force noted that the new helicopters will ensure round-the-clock readiness to respond to emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean. Crews of the 84th Squadron are currently training together with Airbus specialists.

As a reminder, in the summer of 2025 British Chinook helicopters took part in tackling the largest forest fires Cyprus has seen in recent years, dropping around 450 tons of water.