Aegis: 2.1 billion for Civil Protection with helicopters, aircraft and UAVs

The evolution of the “Aegis” program worth 2.1 billion was presented yesterday at the “Hellenic World” Cultural Center by the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilia, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Mr. Kikilias mentioned among other things that within 9 months tenders of 1.5 billion euros were announced, projects of another 320 million will be announced until the end of May, raising the amount to 1 billion 820 million euros, while before August the Aegis will be completed in its entirety. The delivery of the projects will start from 2025.

The program includes, among other things, operational equipment and air and ground means of response (7 Canadair, 10 medium-type helicopters, 25 amphibious single-engine aircraft, 1100 firefighting vehicles, etc.), equipment and means of support and coordination (3 medium-type helicopters, 3 air-surveillance aircraft, 3 medium-type helicopters, 1 twin-engine aircraft, 101 drones, mobile operations centers), warning systems and means of prevention (national database – artificial intelligence, fire detection systems, weather stations and radars, upgrading of 112 with the integration of new technologies, etc.) as well as upgrading of infrastructure and facilities (simulation park, volunteer equipment, training, etc. a.).

Mrs. Mitsotakis: Prevention, repression and restoration, the triptych of protecting human life

Prevention, suppression and restoration – where this is needed – is the necessary tripartite, always having as a sacred priority the protection of human life to combat the climate crisis, stressed Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his speech at the Climate Crisis Ministry event and Civil Protection for the program.

Mr. Mitsotakis referred to the protagonists of the effort to deal with the climate crisis, expressing his thanks to “the invisible heroes of the front line: those who put out fires, those who save lives in floods, those who selflessly intervene after every earthquake, those who the “112” prevent the worst and with self-sacrifice fight all the battles”. He also emphasized that as far as possible, the government has done its best “to find us this summer as prepared as possible”.

“With more firefighters, with new forest firefighters, who have the ability, as you saw in this very beautiful video, to intervene directly in the fire” said Mr. Mitsotakis. He added that this year there will be ten new forest commando units, as well as the most aircraft we have ever had, airplanes and helicopters, while a new, even stricter operational doctrine is now in place, the main purpose of which is “to be able to deal with the fire in the first year, right after it broke out.”

The Prime Minister referred to the acquisition of 7 new Canadair Type 515 firefighting aircraft to replace Canadair Type 215 aircraft, which have been flying for 50 years. “I really want to bow down to both the operators and the technicians who keep these planes, despite the very great difficulties, operational and safe,” he said.

TAt the same time, we are also upgrading the slightly older Canadairs. We are now acquiring our own, privately owned – and no longer leasing – 8 plus 2 new helicopters, the helicopters you see here, the Ericksons. They are very effective helicopters, but we should not forgete that this year we will spend more than 120 million euros to lease helicopters. The number of these helicopters is finite. And the more countries are interested in leasing them, the higher the prices.

We have therefore taken a decision, as the Hellenic Republic, to now acquire privately owned medium-type helicopters, which will essentially be able to perform a double mission: on the one hand, to contribute to extinguishing by carrying a sufficient load of water, and on the other hand, to be personnel transport helicopters, so that to be able to intervene as soon as possible in the field of business itself.

These are flanked by new amphibious aircraft, which will replace the old, very reliable but rather aging PZLs. Too many new fire engines. You saw in the slides the range of interventions that are done at this level. But, of course, fire detection systems, sensors, thermal cameras for forests, drones, 300 ambulances, field hospitals. It was an opportunity, through the “Aegis” program, to cover some additional needs of the Ministries of Health, National Defense, Citizen Protection.

And of course, I want to say in closing that this equipment would not exist, we could not have procured it, if we had not secured the corresponding funds from Brussels. The Recovery Fund alone, as Mr. Kavalakis mentioned, has made available to our country resources that reach 36 billion euros, of which approximately half of the amount is direct grants and the other half is low-interest loans.

These are flanked by new amphibious aircraft, which will replace the old, very reliable but rather aging PZLs. Too many new fire engines. But also fire detection systems, sensors, thermal cameras for forests, drones, 300 ambulances, field hospitals. It was an opportunity, through the “Aegis” program, to cover some additional needs of the Ministries of Health, National Defense, Citizen Protection” Mr. Mitsotakis concluded.

With information from APE-MPE