Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Airbus A400M roll-on/roll-off firefighting kit will be permanently available for aerial firefighting taskings by the Royal Air Force before July 2027.

The Royal Air Force is procuring an initial containerised aerial firefighting capability for the A400M Atlas aircraft to enhance the UK's ability to respond to significant wildfire incidents. The capability will be available to support the 2027 wildfire season and represents an important first step towards establishing a sovereign military aerial firefighting capability within the UK.