Does Scotland have the 'game changer' helicopters it needs to fight wildfires?

Does Scotland have the 'game changer' helicopters it needs to fight wildfires?Image caption, Firefighters can direct specialist helicopters to drop a tonne of water to help extinguish firesByPaul Hastie and Kevin Keane, Scotland environment correspondentPublished20 July 2026Updated 6 minutes agoA devastating wildfire burning in the Cairngorms has entered its seventh day, as helicopters battle to stop the spread of the flames.Two specialist helicopters have been "invaluable" for waterbombing hard-to-reach areas, the Cairngorms National Park Authority says.But the flames were allowed to torch the landscape for nearly two days before they arrived on the scene around Glenmore Forest Park.There's been vocal frustration from some local people, who believe the wildfire might have been brought under control if specialist air support had been called in sooner.Why the delay? Do Scotland's firefighters have the aerial resources they need to tackle the growing threat of wildfires?When will a helicopter be called to a wildfire?The official line from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is that the Cairngorms wildfire has been "appropriately resourced" from the start, with more than 100 firefighters involved.They have also been helped by an army of gamekeepers, estate workers and volunteers from neighbouring estates.The blaze started near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge, last Wednesday and by the weekend the response was scaled up to include six fire engines, two all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and a Wildfire Support Unit alongside the two helicopters.But unlike the rest of these vehicles, the SFRS has no direct access to firefighting helicopters.Image source, Scottish Fire and Rescue ServiceImage caption, The Cairngorms wildfire has been burning since Wednesday last weekThere are also only a small number of private companies with the helicopters and specialist equipment needed, as well as the pilots with the skills to fight the fire...