Kestrel Aviation Launches FireHawk 1

Kestrel Aviation/Firehawk Helicopters “Firehawk 1 conducts a water drop during media operations in January. Photo by Dave Sodestrom.

Kestrel’s fleet includes Bell 412’s, S-76’s and others to fight fires around Australia. Photo by Dave Sodestrom.

Having first appeared on Australian fire grounds in 2017, the battle-proven Sikorsky UH-60 / S-70 Blackhawk has been a long-standing project for both Kestrel and Firehawk. The four-blade, twin-engine utility helicopter has been long touted as the next ‘big thing’ in aerial firefighting, and now, with the introduction of FIREHAWK 1, the game has changed.

Continuing Kestrel’s commitment to continuous improvement, and increasing capability for local fire agencies, FIREHAWK 1 is fitted with the Firehawk developed and United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approved internal HawkTank, which has a capacity of 3,500 liters/924 Gallons, collected through the hover fill snorkel which can fill the tank in under a minute.

The company has been in partnership with Firehawk Helicopters for several years, with Firehawk 1 coming online this year as the first aircraft with an internal tank. Firehawk 1 will carry the designation ‘Helitak 125 when working on fires in Australia and will operate with a two-man crew to operate the helicopter during fire season. The hawktank is able to be filled in approximately one minute, dramatically increasing its effectiveness in both capacities versus a bucket and time required between drops on fires.

“The introduction of FIREHAWK 1 into the Australian fire arena represents the accumulated and collaborative efforts of two leading aviation organizations to benefit Australian communities,” said Ray Cronin, Founder and Managing Director of Kestrel Aviation

Kestrel operates one of the largest flees of medium and large-sized helicopters, based in central victoria at Mangalore Airport. The company continues to innovate in the aerial firefighting sector. Kestrel Aviation is also the only Australianowned operator with approval to perform nighttime initial attack operations under night vision goggles.