Review of aerial suppression effectiveness research literature

Aircraft are an important and costly component of bushfire suppression operations. Most decisions related to  the application of aircraft at bushfires are based on anecdotal experience as there is little quantitative data and  knowledge of how they are used and how effective they are in the Australian context, particularly for large  fires. The Natural Hazards Research Australia and CSIRO Why fly? How do we know that aerial firefighting  operations are effective and efficient? project was established to address these concerns and is a focussing on  aircraft that drop retardants and suppressants. This literature review has been undertaken to document the  pertinent research relevant to the Why fly? project.