Turkish-made firefighting helicopter takes up duty in southwest

By Durmus Genc

MUGLA, Türkiye (AA) - The fire-fighting helicopter Nefes (Breath), bought by Türkiye’s Forestry Directorate from its maker Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), is ready to do its job to protect the nation’s forests in the country’s southwestern Mugla province.

The cruising speed of the copter, which was named by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, can reach 222 kilometers/hour (138 miles/hour), and its maximum speed is up to 358 kph (222 mph).

The Nefes is able to drop up to 2.5 tons of water at a time and is equipped to take part in search and rescue efforts as well as firefighting.

Nefes is the first-ever firefighting helicopter in the inventory of the Forestry Directorate.