Türkiye is working on uncrewed aircraft that can release water onto forest blazes, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced at a media briefing in Istanbul.
The ministry is working with the defence industry to develop aircraft able to extinguish fires in difficult terrain. Yumaklı said existing applications in China operate in flatter areas, while Türkiye requires systems designed for challenging landscapes.
The country already uses 14 Bayraktar TB2 drones to monitor forests and detect fires early. Yumaklı thanked manufacturer Baykar for supporting forestry operations and said the new project aims to create unmanned water-dropping aircraft as effective as existing firefighting aircraft.
Yumaklı said emergency crews have tackled 6,219 fires during 2026, including 2,111 in forests and 4,108 across rural land that burned 24,527 hectares.
