UK to Deploy Military Aircraft Against Wildfires After Record 2026 Season

On a Thursday night in August, Andy Burnham stood in Stourbridge in the West Midlands and watched a wildfire destroy 19 homes. Two months later, as prime minister, he is turning that memory into policy. On Friday the government hosts the UK's first wildfire resilience summit, and Burnham is expected to announce that military aircraft will be drafted in to help fight blazes.

Under the plan, civilian fire services in all four nations will be able to request support from the Royal Air Force's Chinook helicopters and A400M aircraft. The aim is to reach fires on terrain that ground crews struggle with, such as remote moorland and steep hillsides. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said it is the first time the RAF's Chinooks and its four-engine A400Ms are being equipped for wildfire work. Some areas went without any air assistance during the summer. RAF Chinook crews have already helped respond to wildfires in Cyprus.

The scale of the season explains the urgency. The National Fire Chiefs Council counts 1,350 wildfires in England and Wales this year, an all-time high. That is more than 300 above last year and more than 1,000 above 2024. Records for reported wildfires were also broken in 2022 and 2025, and the UK's Climate Change Committee has warned the risk will grow over the coming decades. The Met Office says summer 2026 was the hottest on record, and a study of the season found human-induced climate change made that heat 130 times more likely.

Major incidents were declared this year at Dunwich Heath and RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk, in the Cairngorms, in Hampshire and at Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire. In August the government convened a Cobra meeting and then sent an emergency alert to millions of phones across England and Wales, a step that drew a backlash from some recipients.

Burnham said of Stourbridge: "I will never forget it." He called the firefighters heroes that day, but added that "heroes shouldn't have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs." His justification for the new measures was that "we cannot put people through another summer like this one."

Earlier this month, MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee identified weaknesses in the UK's preparedness. They pointed to access to aerial firefighting resources, securing water supplies during major incidents, and coordinating resources nationally. They said the current system for obtaining aerial support was "no longer fit for purpose."

The government is also putting money behind the response. It will spend £45m on wildfire-specific protective equipment for firefighters. Current kit is designed for building fires and is not meant to be worn for long periods, while the new equipment is lighter. From April 2027 to April 2029, a £25m scheme will restore dried-out peatlands in England so they act as natural firebreaks. Farmers will get financial support to fireproof their land, for example by digging ponds. A briefing ahead of the summit said the government will look at tougher local restrictions or product bans to stop fires being started when risk is high, following a temporary ban on disposable BBQs.

The summit will also announce a "Wildfires AI Unit" bringing together universities, tech firms and officials from the Cobra emergency committee, alongside Met Office wildfire forecasts and closer work with devolved governments. Burnham will meet fire chiefs, local leaders and technology experts. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said the summer's fires showed the need to adapt to a changing climate, and that "nature is our greatest ally" in preventing them. What to watch next is how quickly the aircraft arrangements are put into practice, and whether any local restrictions or product bans follow.