Croatian firefighting aircraft have once again been heavily engaged on wildfire missions in recent days, particularly on the island of Brač. Canadairs spent more than 100 hours in the air over a three-day period, while carrying out more than 1,000 water drops during operations on the Brač fire alone.

The intensity of the operation can also be seen in a 12-minute time-lapse video showing firefighting aircraft activity during the Brač wildfire.

The video was automatically generated by the AeroSINT application, which brings together data from several dozen different sources and services. These include meteorological data from the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service, data from Croatia Control, aircraft tracking information from services such as Flightradar24, adsb.fi and adsb.lol, as well as satellite-based wildfire detections.

AeroSINT is a Croatian project developed by Matej Bučarić with the aim of bringing together information on firefighting operations that is otherwise scattered across flight-tracking services, NOTAMs, temporary restricted airspace areas and other national sources. The system tracks firefighting aircraft and helicopters in Croatia and six other European countries, and has undergone several significant upgrades since its launch. Maps now use satellite imagery as the base layer, aircraft positions are displayed using icons representing the actual aircraft types instead of simple dots, and additional tracking sources have been integrated to provide more accurate positions and more frequent updates, particularly during low-level operations. Wildfire maps now also display wind direction and wind speed.

By combining these sources, it is possible to follow firefighting aircraft flight paths, meteorological conditions and areas where satellites detect active fires almost in real time. The result is a timeline-based overview that clearly illustrates the intensity of aerial operations over the fire area and its surroundings.

Croatian Air Tractors are not included in the Brač visualisation, although they also took part in the firefighting effort. Due to an insufficient number of receivers, their positions cannot be tracked reliably and continuously enough, meaning that available MLAT data is often incomplete.

More than 800 flight hours since the beginning of August

Available data and flight-path heatmaps further illustrate the scale of activity by Croatia’s aerial firefighting fleet during August and the first half of September. Unlike the Brač wildfire visualisation, these statistics also include available data for Air Tractor aircraft.

During August 2026, Croatian firefighting aircraft recorded more than 550 flight hours.

Heatmap of Croatian firefighting aircraft flight paths during August 2026.

More than 250 additional flight hours were recorded during the first half of September alone, meaning that more than 800 flight hours were logged by the Croatian firefighting fleet between the beginning of August and mid-September.

Heatmap of Croatian firefighting aircraft flight paths during the first half of September 2026.

The figures from the first half of September show that the intensity of firefighting operations remained high even after the period generally considered the peak of the wildfire season.

Croatian Canadairs also deployed abroad

In addition to operations in Croatia, Croatian Canadairs also took part in several international missions during the 2026 firefighting season.

Two CL-415s were deployed to France at the end of July. Canadair 811 departed on 24 July, while Canadair 866 joined it on 29 July. Both aircraft returned to their home base on 2 August.

Croatian crews operated on wildfires in southwestern France and in the Bordeaux area, including one of the largest European wildfires of 2026, west of Bordeaux, where approximately 40,000 hectares were burned.

Croatia also provided assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canadairs 844 and 888 were dispatched on 17 August to a wildfire near Bosansko Grahovo. The fire initially affected territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina before spreading across the border towards the Croatian side of Mount Dinara.

After the fire spread into Croatian territory, the Canadairs continued operating over Dinara for roughly the following ten days. The total burned area on both sides of the border is estimated at around 18,500 hectares, including approximately 8,000 hectares in Croatia.

At the beginning of September, Croatian Canadairs were again deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canadairs 844 and 855 operated on the wildfire near Prozor-Rama on 6 September, while 844 and 866 were engaged in the same area the following day. The burned area is estimated at approximately 18,000 hectares.

First Croatian DHC-515 expected in 2029

Croatia is set to begin renewing its existing firefighting fleet in the coming years with a new generation of Canadair aircraft. Two De Havilland Canada DHC-515 aircraft, successors to the current CL-415, have been ordered.

Delivery of the first Croatian DHC-515 is planned for November 2029, and the aircraft is expected to be the tenth example produced. The second Croatian aircraft, the 16th in the production sequence, is expected to be delivered in August 2030.

The first DHC-515 is already in production, while its maiden flight is expected in late 2027 or early 2028. Under the current plan, the first production aircraft is expected to be delivered to Greece.

More than 800 flight hours by Croatian firefighting aircraft during August and the first half of September, more than 1,000 water drops during a single multi-day operation on Brač, and deployments to France and Bosnia and Herzegovina illustrate the scale of this year’s workload for Croatia’s aerial firefighting component.