In 2010 Mount Carmel forest fire took place, which was a turning point that led to a change in the face of the firefighting system in Israel.

Until this fire, the firefighting system was built in a decentralized manner under local authorities and city associations under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior.

After the fire in Carmel, as part of the lessons learned from the disaster, a decision was made to establish a firefighting squadron in the Israeli Air Force.

In a tender published by the Ministry of Defense, Elbit Systems won, so the government purchased firefighting planes and hired the Chem-Nir company to carry out the task.

On January 5, 2015, Elbit Systems Company, which received from the Ministry of Defense the contract for the purchase of the planes and the operation of the firefighting squadron, announced the signing of a contract that will be spread over eight years and will also include payment for flight hours, infrastructure upgrades, maintenance, operation of runways, treatment of flame retardant materials and other aspects of Activation of the squadron.

Firefighting planes from the squadron helped put out fires that broke out in various locations in Israel due to heavy heat in May 2020, carrying out more than a hundred sorties .