# Australia joins Indonesia to fight East Kalimantan fires

> Australian firefighting team deploys water-bombing aircraft to East Kalimantan as Indonesia and Australia pilot joint aerial fire suppression efforts.
- Title: Australia joins Indonesia to fight East Kalimantan fires
- Summary: Australian firefighting team deploys water-bombing aircraft to East Kalimantan as Indonesia and Australia pilot joint aerial fire suppression efforts.
- Keywords: east kalimantan, australia, indonesia, forest fires, fire suppression, aerial firefighting, new south wales rural fire service, disaster management, Antara News
- Source: Antara News — https://en.antaranews.com/news/441443/east-kalimantan-pilots-ri-australia-fire-management-efforts
- Published: 2026-11-09T21:52:14+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: east kalimantan, australia, indonesia, forest fires, fire suppression, aerial firefighting, new south wales rural fire service, disaster management, news
## East Kalimantan becomes fire pilot project
East Kalimantan Province has become a pilot project for aerial forest and land fire suppression involving a firefighting team from Australia, Governor Rudy Mas'ud announced.
## Australian team deploys for seven days
The Australian Government deployed twenty personnel from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service for seven days, from November six to November twelve twenty twenty-six, to mitigate fires across several East Kalimantan regencies.
## Two specialized aircraft join operations
The fleet includes a C-one-thirty Hercules nicknamed Barder with a fifteen-thousand-liter water-bombing capacity, and a C-five-sixty Cessna nicknamed Bad Dog used for operational documentation.
## Governor praises aircraft design
Governor Mas'ud commended the aircraft as specially designed with seating only for pilot and technician, leaving space for a large-capacity water tank for fire suppression operations.

> The aircraft are remarkable; they are specially designed with seating only for the pilot and technician, leaving space for a large-capacity water tank.
## Five flights daily target residential areas
New South Wales Rural Fire Service leader Mathew Reeves said his team conducted five flights per day with operational durations reaching ten hours, prioritizing fires within one kilometer of settlements.

> Fire-suppression operations took place from zero eight thirty to seventeen hundred Central Indonesian Time. We prioritized extinguishing fires that were approaching residential areas.
## Australia and Indonesia strengthen partnership
Australian Ambassador Roderick Brazier said the collaboration will strengthen Indonesia-Australia partnership through exchange of experience in disaster management and protecting public and vital infrastructure.

> I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the extraordinary support provided by the East Kalimantan Provincial Government throughout the forest and land fire response operations.
## Program aims to counter El Niño threat
Governor Mas'ud hopes the aerial fire-suppression program will be sustained as a proactive measure against threats from the El Niño phenomenon and annual dry season to prevent fires spreading further.
## Key takeaway

Australia deployed twenty personnel and two aircraft to East Kalimantan from November six to twelve twenty twenty-six to help suppress forest and land fires in a pilot program with Indonesia.