COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Texas A&M Forest Service has added three new multi-mission aircraft this week, the agency's second major aviation acquisition in recent weeks as the state builds its first dedicated wildfire aviation fleet.
The purchase follows the addition of two wildfire suppression helicopters.
The expansion comes through House Bill 500, which allocated $257 million in 2025 to the Texas A&M Forest Service to purchase, operate, and maintain wildfire-suppression aircraft.
Nine aircraft are currently staged in Texas for wildfire response. Since Jan. 1, Texas A&M Forest Service has mobilized aircraft 115 times, dropping more than 1.25 million gallons of water and fire retardant statewide.
