The firefighting helicopter named "Nefes" (which means "Breath" in Turkish) acquired by the Turkish Forestry Directorate from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is prepared to fulfill its duty of safeguarding the nation's forests in the country’s southwestern Muğla province.
The cruising speed of the helicopter, which was named by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, can reach 222 kph (138 mph) with a maximum speed of 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 besides firefighting.
Nefes is the first-ever firefighting helicopter in the inventory of the Forestry Directorate.
The inventory of the Forestry Directorate was bolstered with an additional fleet, including a forest firefighting helicopter and planes, in a ceremony held in the capital Ankara at the beginning of May.
