Berlin’s five-day mission comes as France prepares for a prolonged firefighting operation and the EU coordinates wider aerial support for France and Spain.
Germany’s armed forces dispatched two transport helicopters and an A400M aircraft carrying equipment on Monday to help combat a massive wildfire on France’s Atlantic coast.
The German Defence Ministry said the aircraft would support French forces battling the fires in the Bordeaux area. The mission, announced on July 27, 2026, is initially scheduled to last five days.
“The devastating wildfires in France and Spain have deeply saddened the federal government,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in Berlin.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was said to be in contact with French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over the fires.
The deployment was reportedly made in response to a request from the French authorities.
France’s fire service is preparing for an operation that could continue for weeks or even months in the affected region.
The European Union is also coordinating the deployment of aircraft from several member states to support France and Spain.
