The ceremony took place at the No. 1 Maneuver Aerodrome, with the presence of the resigning Prime Minister, António Costa, and were acquired under the Recovery and Resilience Program.

"As of today, the Air Force has four new helicopters that will be dedicated to the mission of fighting rural fires", the force begins in a statement sent to Notícias ao Minuto.

In the same note, the Air Force states that the aircraft in question are two AW119 Koala helicopters, which join the existing 552 Squadron - 'Zangões', "and these two will be permanently dedicated to the mission of combating rural fires, through surveillance and projection of forces on the ground"

The other two means, UH-60 Black Hawk, are intended for "aerial combat and the projection of forces on the ground and will be based in AM1, soon transformed into Air Base No. 8". These two helicopters are the first of a total of six, and according to the Air Force, the fleet is expected to be complete by 2026.

"As this is a mission that requires extreme experience, by 2026 the Air Force crews responsible for operating the UH-60 Black Hawk will go through a very rigorous phase of training in order to build capacity with all operating conditions", they further explain in the statement.

The Prime Minister appeared accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Helena Carreiras, and spoke of a paradigm shift in the way the country began to view the integrated management of rural fires, prioritising prevention, without neglecting the need for training to combat fires.

According to António Costa, this change in paradigm has translated into concrete results, with all the goals set in the national plan for integrated management of rural fires having been "largely exceeded".

In total, the acquisition of 11 helicopters is planned by 2025, representing an investment of around 70 million euros exclusively from the PRR, with the first four aircraft delivered to the Air Force being presented today: two medium Black Hawk helicopters and two light Koala helicopters.

In the case of the Black Hawk, General Cartaxo Alves clarified that they are already used devices, but assured that these helicopters "were subject to an in-depth structural inspection".