Helicopters as a force for good: Aerial firefighting efforts in LA
Today’s Insight takes a look at the herculean efforts of aerial firefighting crews in response to the Los Angeles fires.
Utilising public flight tracking data, we reveal over 20 firefighting rotorcraft operating in the Los Angeles region between Santa Monica Airport, Van Nuys Airport, and Camarillo Airport on 11 January, 2025. These included Sikorsky Firehawks and Blackhawks, Leonardo AW139s, Bell 412s, and Boeing CH-47Ds.
As LCI Analytics previously discussed in our posts [here] and [here], firefighting seasons are becoming longer, making the traditional approach of moving helicopters between hemispheres increasingly impractical.
Unlike other mission-critical rotorcraft markets such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Search and Rescue (SAR), and Energy, where contracts often span 5–10 years, most helicopter firefighting contracts in this region are awarded annually in alignment with state or city budgets. This shorter term financial horizon hinders vital strategic planning and investment in new aircraft or infrastructure.
The market has seen limited growth in purpose-built firefighting rotorcraft, such as the S-70i Firehawk. In addition, most firefighting helicopters are converted utility machines equipped with modifications like bubble windows and belly-mounted tanks, such as the Helitak system we previously analysed [here], or external “Bambi buckets”, to deliver water for aerial firefighting.
The devastating wildfires seen this month in Los Angeles may prompt a re-evaluation of how aerial firefighting contracts are structured. Longer-term contracts could unlock much-needed investment in the sector to improve both capacity and capability in combating wildfires.
We will continue to monitor developments in this critical area with interest.