Named ‘Marty’ and ‘Christine’, the cranes join the core fleet of 54 aircraft, including a mix of firebombing, air supervision and information-gathering aircraft.

For the first time, one of the cranes – Marty – is coloured black and yellow. Christine is the same orange as its best-known predecessor, Elvis. The colour of the cranes does not change their capacity or capability.

Victoria’s aerial firefighting fleet works across the season with ground crews and equipment to put out fires and help protect communities, assets, infrastructure and the environment.

With the season starting early this year, aircraft have already played a vital role helping to contain several fires across the state, including:

  • Two large airtankers (LATs) and a lead plane attending at Patchewollock on 5 December
  • 10 different aircraft attending the Mount Richmond fire, which started on 16 October, with just over 160 hours flown on this one fire

Since the commencement of the fire season there has been more than 2.25 million litres of retardant, water and foam dropped from the aerial firefighting resources.

This year, the fleet also includes two new fixed-wing aircraft with advanced fire-scanning capabilities. These capabilities mean crews will have access to higher-quality images to support fire-mapping and decision-making. These aircraft also have passenger and cargo-carrying capabilities, meaning they will be able to fulfil multiple roles over summer.

Other aircraft in this year’s fleet include Super Puma helicopters, Black Hawk helicopters, Air Tractors, and more.

Aircranes side by side in ship
Picture from above of aircranes Marty and Christine positioned side by side in their transport ship
Aircrane 'Christine' lifted from ship with a crane
Aircrane 'Christine' lifted from ship with a crane
Aircrane 'Marty' on the dock
Man in fluro shirt and patterned hat watches on as aircrane 'Marty' is lifted by a crane
Aircrane 'Christine' in transport ship

How you can help

The summer bushfire seasonal outlook for 2025-26 was released in late November. It gives a picture of the likelihood of fire over the summer months at both a state and national level. With higher fire potential in many parts of the state, Victorians are encouraged to be aware of the fire risk this summer, whether at home or away.

Visit fireplanner.vic.gov.au to get started on a bushfire plan.

Download the VicEmergency app, set up your watch zones and turn on your notifications.

Stay up to date with the latest Fire Danger Ratings and know what ratings will trigger your plan.

More information

Summer Bushfire Outlook

Page last updated: 19/12/25