Giant helicopter becomes an aerial weapon against fires in the Pantanal and drops water over isolated areas where firefighters cannot reach; see how the aircraft uses a flying bucket to attack fire hotspots in the middle of the vegetation.

Written by Alisson Ficher

Published on 15/06/2026 at 16:37

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Armed Forces helicopters began operating with helibuckets in the Pantanal, delivering water to remote locations, supporting firefighters, and enhancing the response against fires in areas where rivers, dense vegetation, and poor access make ground combat difficult.

Armed Forces helicopters were used in the Pantanal to drop water on fire hotspots in hard-to-reach areas, where moving firefighters on the ground can be slow or unfeasible.

The action was part of Operation Pantanal II, activated on June 27, 2024, by the Ministry of Defense to support fire combat in the biome.

In the missions, the Bambi Bucket, also known as a helibucket, was used, which allows transporting water by air to areas affected by fire.

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How the flying bucket used in fire combat works

Although the procedure involves repeated steps of water collection and dropping, the operation requires flight control, communication between teams, and constant assessment of local conditions.

During the movement, the helibucket remains attached to the aircraft, requiring the crew to control a suspended load subject to wind, flight movement, and visibility conditions.

The Ministry of Defense reported that the Bambi Bucket allows for the release of up to 700 liters of water per drop, considering the system used in the mentioned missions.

The Army detailed that the helibucket used by its aircraft carries 500 to 700 liters of water, while other configurations may have a smaller capacity.

This volume acts as a reinforcement to the firefighters’ work and extends the reach of the emergency response in locations where ground access is limited.

In areas without roads, with dense vegetation, or near watercourses, the helicopter reduces the interval between refilling and dropping water on the fire hotspot.

The operational flexibility of helicopters allows them to operate in specific locations, especially when the location of the focus requires short and successive movements between the water source and the affected area.

Unlike large aircraft, these vehicles can operate in more fragmented sections of the Pantanal, where geography imposes difficulties for land movements and responses by conventional means.

Armed Forces launched 1 million liters in the Pantanal

In a report released on August 16, 2024, the Ministry of Defense informed that the Armed Forces had launched 1 million liters of water in the Pantanal region.

The operation involved 470 military personnel, 136 vehicles, 42 boats, and eight aircraft, under the coordination of the Joint Operational Command.

In addition to the water launches, the action recorded 130 reconnaissance missions by land, air, and river.

With this mapping, the teams located active hotspots, defined movement routes, and guided the use of aircraft at points where the discharge could have an immediate effect.

In the air, the Pantera and Esquilo helicopters operated alongside the KC-390 Millennium of the Brazilian Air Force.

The cargo aircraft was equipped with the MAFFS system, an acronym for Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, capable of discharging approximately 12,000 liters of water in fire areas.

Through the system installed on the KC-390, the water is released through tubes positioned at the aircraft’s left rear door.

According to the Army, the system can discharge up to 12,000 liters in seven seconds, a feature indicated for actions with greater volume in broad fire fronts.

Why helicopters are used in the Pantanal

Even with higher capacity aircraft, helicopters have a different operational role in fighting fires.

These aircraft operate in closer points, adjust routes quickly, and support areas where the precision of the launch may be more suitable than the volume dumped at once.

In the Pantanal, this operational difference relates to the characteristics of the biome, which includes floodable areas, rivers, distant properties, sensitive vegetation, and difficult-to-access sections.

When fire advances in this type of environment, the response depends on logistics, communication, and the ability to reach locations where ground teams face movement limitations.

Operation Pantanal II also included a support structure set up on land to organize resources, house teams, and maintain essential services during combat actions.

The Jaguar Logistic Support Base was installed on the banks of the Transpantaneira Highway, with a situation room, medical and radio posts, field kitchen, storage, dining hall, hygiene area, and accommodation for firefighters.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the base also received transportable satellite communication terminals, used to provide internet in a region where connectivity can be limited.

With this support, the teams were able to exchange operational information, update decisions, and keep different fronts integrated during the fight against fires in the Pantanal.

Operation depends on coordination on land, water, and air

The use of the helibucket depends on a support chain that involves aircraft, ground teams, vessels, vehicles, temporary bases, and coordination centers.

On the ground, teams indicate priority hotspots, while vessels and vehicles support movements, temporary bases organize resources, and coordination centers determine where the aerial effort should be concentrated.

This integration seeks to reduce risks for firefighters, nearby communities, and crew members during water drop operations.

Before each action, teams need to assess wind, smoke, position of professionals on the ground, and the presence of obstacles, as the water dropped at low altitude must hit the target without compromising safety.

The missions released by the Armed Forces show that fighting fires in large natural areas involves more than the presence of firefighters on the front line.

In extensive and isolated regions, planes, helicopters, vessels, vehicles, communication systems, and mobile bases integrate the same emergency response structure.

In the case of helicopters with Bambi Bucket, the operation with the “flying bucket” corresponds to a visible stage of a broader process.

Each drop depends on terrain reconnaissance, choice of water source, route calculation, communication with ground teams, and constant evaluation of fire conditions.

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Giant helicopter becomes an aerial weapon against fires in the Pantanal and drops water over isolated areas where firefighters cannot reach; see how the aircraft uses a flying bucket to attack fire hotspots in the middle of the vegetation.

Armed Forces helicopters began operating with helibuckets in the Pantanal, delivering water to remote locations, supporting firefighters, and enhancing the response against fires in areas where rivers, dense vegetation, and poor access make ground combat difficult.

How the flying bucket used in fire combat works

Armed Forces launched 1 million liters in the Pantanal

Why helicopters are used in the Pantanal

Operation depends on coordination on land, water, and air

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Giant helicopter becomes an aerial weapon against fires in the Pantanal and drops water over isolated areas where firefighters cannot reach; see how the aircraft uses a flying bucket to attack fire hotspots in the middle of the vegetation.

Armed Forces helicopters began operating with helibuckets in the Pantanal, delivering water to remote locations, supporting firefighters, and enhancing the response against fires in areas where rivers, dense vegetation, and poor access make ground combat difficult.

How the flying bucket used in fire combat works

Armed Forces launched 1 million liters in the Pantanal

Why helicopters are used in the Pantanal

Operation depends on coordination on land, water, and air

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

China has deployed snake-shaped robots to slide along power lines, where they have already inspected over 130 kilometers of cables using cameras and sensors to detect damaged wires, worn-out parts, and overheating.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

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