Indian Air Force Conducts Round-the-Clock Aerial Firefighting Operations in Kasauli

📌 Summary:

• IAF deployed Mi-17 V5 medium-lift helicopters and a Cheetah helicopter under the aid-to-civil-authorities framework to combat a forest fire near Kasauli (Solan district, Himachal Pradesh) starting 26 May 2026

• Blaze spread across nearly 10 hectares in the Kasauli Beat area, threatening residential areas, critical civil infrastructure and military establishments

• Bambi Bucket operations sustained by sourcing water from Sukhna Lake (Chandigarh); each sortie carried 2,000–2,500 litres; over 93,000 litres of water discharged in total

• First-ever IAF night Bambi Bucket operations conducted using Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) in mountainous terrain — a major operational milestone for aerial firefighting

• Coordination with State Administration, State Forest Department, Indian Army and local authorities ensured the fire did not escalate into a major disaster

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Disaster Management — role of armed forces in disaster response, aid to civil authorities, forest fire as recurring climate-linked hazard in the Himalayan belt.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Mi-17 V5 is a Russian-origin medium-lift helicopter inducted into IAF; Cheetah is a high-altitude light utility helicopter
• "Bambi Bucket" = collapsible bucket sling-loaded under a helicopter for aerial firefighting
• Forest fires in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are most frequent in pre-monsoon months (April–June)
• Aid to Civil Authorities is governed by the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and Union War Book / Defence Services Regulations

🔑 Key Term: Bambi Bucket — a specialised aerial firefighting tool deployed via helicopters to scoop water from natural sources and discharge it precisely over wildfire-affected zones.