Iranian authorities have sent a firefighting aircraft to Pakistan to help combat a forest fire at the Koh-e-Suleman mountain range. The fire was first reported over two weeks ago and has now spread over a 25-35km radius.

Iranian Ilyushin 76 arrives in Pakistan

Iran has sent an Ilyushin Il-76 firefighting aircraft to Pakistan to help the country deal with a raging forest fire. The aircraft, which an Iranian spokesperson dubbed "the world's biggest firefighter aircraft," landed at Rawalpindi's Nur Khan Airbase on Monday as it was too large to land at Quetta Airport.

It was put into service immediately to combat the devastating forest fire at the Koh-e-Suleman mountain range at the junction of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan.

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The Ilyushin Il-76 has already proven a game-changer. Photo: Shahram Sharifi via Wikimedia Commons

Officials confirmed that the aircraft would remain in Pakistan until the fire has been extinguished.

While reports of a fire in the region were first recorded over two weeks ago, the concentrated blaze in the Shirani forest area is believed to have broken out on May 18th after a lightning strike.

The Ilyushin Il-76 can carry around 40 tonnes of water and has made several flights since starting operations on Tuesday. It can also drop water with more precision than the Pakistani helicopters it operates alongside.

Making a difference

Since the Ilyushin Il-76 arrived on Monday, it has made an enormous difference in just a matter of days.

Federal Minister for Housing Maulana Abdul Wasey provided an update on the situation in the last 24 hours, stating that 95% of the Shirani forest area has been doused.

Before the arrival of the Ilyushin Il-76, two Pakistan Army Mi-17 helicopters were deployed to fight the fire. One helicopter is dropping water on the flames, while the other is equipped with fire-extinguishing chemicals.

Pakistani Forest Officer Ateeq Karar said,

"The fire has now become a raging inferno and we don’t have the required equipment to put it out, which is why Iran is sending the aircraft."

Pakistan's paramilitary forces established relief and medical camps in the region to help those affected. There have been three confirmed deaths so far, along with the ruined livelihoods of thousands of local pine nut farmers.

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The Ilyushin Il-76

The Russian-made Ilyushin Il-76 first entered service in 1974 and is primarily used as a strategic transport plane. It was built for the Soviet military and has entered service with many countries since.

Iran's Ilyushin Il-76 has previously fought forest fires in Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey and proved very effective on those occasions.

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The Ilyushin Il-76 has been a popular military transport for over four decades. Photo: Schmidy87 via Wikimedia Commons

There have been two accidents involving Iranian-operated Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft. The first, in 2003, saw 275 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard perish when their plane crashed in mountainous terrain near Kerman.

This remains the second-deadliest crash in Iranian aviation history behind Iran Air Flight 655. The second accident occurred in 2009 after a mid-air collision during a military parade, with none of the seven occupants surviving.

Have you ever seen an Ilyushin II-76 in action? Let us know your stories in the comments.