Polish Bayraktar UAVs support fire-fighting mission
April 23, 2025
The Bayraktar TB2s used in the operation were based at 12 Baza Bezzałogowych Statków Powietrznych (12.BBSP, the 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Base) at Mirosławiec.
Poland ordered 24 Bayraktar TB2 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs in 2021, becoming the first European Union country to operate the type. The first batch of aircraft was delivered in 2022, and deliveries were completed in May 2024.
The wildfire in Biebrza National Park broke out on Sunday, and by Tuesday had engulfed 450 hectares.
The Bayraktar TB2 used its thermal imaging camera to conduct reconnaissance, transmitting live video in real time to command units. The UAV reportedly helped to detect underground and hidden fires. Due to difficult weather conditions, the TB2 conducted operations from a distance of approximately 70 km from the fire.
The Chief Commander of the State Fire Service, said that personnel from various services fought the fire, including KGPSP firefighters, along with 105 Polish Army soldiers, 60 park employees and forestry workers, supported by ten military vehicles and five helicopters.
Authorities in Augustów, in northeastern Poland, are now gathering evidence ahead of a formal investigation into the cause of the fire, which is suspected to have been intentional.
