Black Summer Operations – South Coast Deployment

Dec 31, 2019

2 min read

On 31 December 2019, Firebird 200, operating with the Airview Fire Recon (AFR) team, commenced operations conducting aerial intelligence and fire mapping over the Tumut fireground in southern New South Wales.

The Tumut fire, ignited by dry lightning on 27 December, would go on to burn until 24 February 2020, ultimately impacting over 334,000 hectares of farmland and national forest.

At approximately midday, AFR was re-tasked by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service to redeploy to the rapidly escalating fire conditions impacting the south coast regions of Moruya and Batemans Bay.

Deployment into the South Coast Fireground

During transit from the highlands toward the coast, crews encountered severely degraded visibility conditions, with dense smoke significantly limiting visual navigation. As the aircraft descended from the escarpment, visibility reduced to near zero, requiring a controlled, slow approach.

Utilising mid-wave infrared (MWIR) thermal imaging, combined with highly skilled flight operations, the crew successfully navigated into the Batemans Bay fireground.

Upon arrival, conditions were assessed as extreme and rapidly deteriorating. Entire communities had been overrun by fire, with:

Widespread structural loss across multiple townships
Civilian populations sheltering along coastlines
Primary and secondary evacuation routes compromised or cut off

At the same time, significant portions of the local telecommunications infrastructure had failed, limiting the ability to transmit live intelligence feeds to State Operations in Sydney.

Operational Adaptation & Fireground Support

Despite degraded communications, AFR continued to provide on-scene aerial intelligence and operational support throughout the afternoon.

With limited situational awareness available to ground crews, the AFR team adapted its role in real time—transitioning from reconnaissance and mapping to direct tactical support.

Using thermal imaging, the aircraft was able to:

Identify structures and assets under immediate threat
Detect fire movement through heavy smoke conditions
Provide precision guidance to aerial water bombing operations
Assist ground crews in prioritising defensive efforts

This capability proved critical in a communications-degraded, high-threat environment, where traditional coordination methods were significantly constrained.

Mission Summary

Total flight time: 10.2 hours
Operational focus: Fire mapping, reconnaissance, and tactical fireground support
Area of operations: Tumut, Moruya, Batemans Bay (NSW South Coast)

The deployment contributed to the protection of multiple properties and assets, supporting both aerial and ground firefighting efforts during one of the most intense phases of the Black Summer bushfires.

By late December 2019, fire activity across New South Wales had been ongoing for several months, with multiple large-scale firegrounds stretching resources across the state. As fires progressed southward, resource constraints and extreme environmental conditions required increased reliance on adaptable, real-time aerial intelligence capabilities.

Summary

This operation highlights the importance of flexible, ISR-enabled aerial platforms in large-scale wildfire events. The ability to adapt from reconnaissance to tactical support—particularly in low-visibility and communications-denied environments—demonstrates the critical role of airborne intelligence in supporting effective fireground operations.