General aviation operator Wieland Aviation (Warnervale) has acquired three ex-Luftwaffe Transall C-160s, with the now first in the process of ferrying to Australia. The planes will become part of the country's National Aerial Firefighting Fleet (NAFC).

The Dutch Aviation Society's Scramble outlet recently noted that VH-RPR (msn D-125) flew out of Kiel on August 25 bound for Malta International. Flight tracking ADS-B data indicates the aircraft remains on the island. The two other C-160s are VH-RFW (msn D-120) and VH-TIT (msn D-077). Both those aircraft remain in Germany. However, official Australian civil aircraft data show they acquired Australian registrations in September 2022.

VH-RPR and VH-TIT were manufactured in 1970, while VH-RFW was built in 1971. Rolls-Royce Tyne Mak 22 engines power both engines. It is believed they are the only civilian C-160s anywhere in the world. In late 2021, ch-aviation reported that the world's last remaining civilian Transall C-160NG was destroyed in a crash at Dolow airport in southern Somalia.

The Luftwaffe had used some of the C-160s as firefighters during the 1980s, equipping two with 12,000 litre tanks. It retired the last of the type in 2021. Wieland's three planes, which each have a payload capacity of 16 tonnes, began the conversion process into aerial firefighters in Germany last year.

Based at a small aerodrome around 90 minutes drive north of Sydney, Wieland Aviation has extensive experience supplying helicopter and fixed-wing capacity to government firefighting agencies. Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) data show the operator also flies one rotary-wing Garlick UH-1H and one Bell Helicopter 230. Wieland Aviation did not respond to a request for comment from ch-aviation.

The NAFC contracts approximately 150 aircraft for Australian state and territory governments. The NAFC supplements the fleet by hiring additional state-owned and state-chartered aircraft to meet peak demand across Australia. In total, over 500 aircraft, provided by over 150 operators, are available for firefighting across Australia. The NAFC is currently preparing for the upcoming 2023/24 fire season.