Galicia presented its Airworks Helicopters-operated UH-60L Black Hawk at the Silleda air base in Pontevedra on October 22, 2026, adding the aircraft to its wildfire-response fleet. Delivered by Timberline Helicopters, it is the first heavy UH-60L described as operating in a European wildfire-response system with civilian personnel. The distinction lies in its civilian firefighting role and configuration, not in the first appearance of a Black Hawk anywhere in Europe; Portugal, for example, already uses Black Hawks for rural fire response.
The aircraft can release 4,300 liters of water in a single pass and has a reported cruising speed of 280 km/h. Regional coverage has called it Europe’s fastest firefighting helicopter. Airworks pilot Nicolás Tamame said the external water tank can be filled in about 40 seconds. The aircraft is a former US military UH-60L adapted for water-bombing, not a purpose-built civilian firefighting helicopter.
Unique Certification and Registration
The Galicia aircraft has restricted-category certification and a US “N” registration. Preparing it for Spain took 18 months of technical work, regulatory coordination and adaptation to European operational standards. Although its airframe has military origins, civilian contractor Airworks Helicopters operates it in Galicia, not the Spanish armed forces.
Airworks, based in Salamanca, operates the Black Hawk and provides Timberline’s support presence in Europe, offering operational assistance and expertise to future Black Hawk operators in the region. The arrangement gives Galicia a civilian-operated heavy helicopter within its wildfire system.
Heavy-Lift Capability for Critical Missions
The helicopter was initially based at Silleda. The Xunta de Galicia plans to move it to a new base in Lalín in 2027, after construction is complete; regional officials had said the facility was expected to be ready by September 2026. The Xunta’s wider aerial fleet totals 24 government-operated aircraft, with four additions in 2026. Operated by Airworks, the Black Hawk is an additional resource alongside existing aircraft, ground crews and prevention work.
María José Gómez, Galicia’s minister for environmental and rural affairs, said at the Silleda presentation: “We are once again pioneers in firefighting.” The helicopter is intended to increase the volume of water delivered per sortie and support rapid redeployment between water sources and fire fronts. Tamame said the tank can fill in about 40 seconds and release 4,300 liters in one pass.
The aircraft complements measures such as vegetation management and land clearing. It is one part of a broader response that also depends on ground access, crews and forest management. Galicia’s wider forestry infrastructure plan includes a reported investment of €9 million and bases such as Beariz and Bande. Regional reporting puts the UH-60L’s capacity at roughly three times that of conventional Spanish firefighting helicopters.
Expanding Airworks’ Heavy Fleet
Airworks Helicopters, a family-run company with more than 15 years of experience in aerial operations, has focused on Airbus H125 and Bell 412 EP helicopters for external-load and firefighting missions across Spain, Portugal and Italy. The UH-60L marks its move into the heavy-helicopter segment, adding a high-capacity platform for periods of elevated fire risk.
Galicia’s approach combines aerial and ground-based responses, including prevention projects such as using goats to manage combustible vegetation near residential and forested areas. For a closer look at how Spain’s aerial crews operate in high-stakes wildfire missions, see this report on the precision water drops performed by Spain’s Canadair pilots.
