Australia is starting to look like Mars ... thick red smoke from the devastating wildfires is filling the air above the continent, and it's causing hell for the Aussie air force.
Check out this insane video from the cockpit of a Royal Australian Air Force plane ... the flight instruments are going crazy and the pilots can't see anything but a dense orange haze.
One of the RAAF's top commanders just shared the shocking footage on social media, and he says his best pilots are facing incredibly daunting flying conditions as they try to carry out support missions to areas hit hardest by the deadly fires.
The RAAF says it's taking several attempts for military aircraft to reach parts of New South Wales and Victoria. Planes and helicopters are airlifting firefighters and rescuing folks trapped in isolated towns destroyed by the flames.
As you know ... over 13-million acres have been engulfed in flames, and the prospects for the future are grim. NSW has 146 fires alone, and the summer heat is still raging on.
It's a huge crisis ... the fires have killed an estimated half-a-billion wild animals and at least 24 people, with over 1,500 homes going up in smoke.
As we've reported ... Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are pledging $500,000 to fight the fires, while Selena Gomez, LaMelo Ball and Nick Kyrgios are also donating to relief efforts.