South American military aircraft and personnel combat forest fires

The armed forces of Bolivia and Peru have deployed fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft equipped with Guardian firefighting systems and Bambi buckets to combat forest fires in the two countries.

The Peruvian Air Force deployed an Alenia C-27J Spartan transport aircraft and a Mil Mi-17 helicopter on 8 August to combat forest fires in Cuzco region. Another Mi-17 helicopter, assigned to the army, is already operating in the area. Video footage released by the Peruvian media shows a helicopter using a Bambi bucket system to collect water from Lake Huacarpay. The Mi-17 can transport 3.5 tonnes of water, while the Spartan can drop up to 4 tonnes of water via the Guardian system, according to air force data.

Similarly, a Bolivian military Airbus H215 (Super Puma) medium helicopter carried out 18 operations on 8 August to combat a fire in San Matías nature reserve, Santa Cruz department. According to the Bolivian Ministry of Defence, 31,000 litres of water were transported by the helicopter on that date. The ministry is considering deploying a second Super Puma to help firefighting operations.

On 3 August the Bolivian government announced the creation of a multipurpose battalion, assigned to the army's seventh division, tasked with combating natural disasters. The troops have been deployed to combat a forest fire in Tunari Park, Cochabamba department.

The Bolivian government has also reportedly transferred about BOB6 million (USD870,000) to the armed forces to pay for transportation, fuel, food, and other expenses to combat the fires.