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The continuous improvements to meet the needs of forest firefighting have made these aircraft the aerial means most in demand over more than 30 years." [ 36 ] By 1999, a total of 51 orders had been secured for the type; operators have reportedly predominantly used the CL-415 for firefighting and maritime search and rescue purposes. [ 37 ]
The DC-10 Air Tanker is a series of American wide-body jet air tankers, which have been in service as an aerial firefighting unit since 2006. [1] The aircraft, operated by the joint technical venture 10 Tanker Air Carrier, are converted wide-body McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 passenger jetliners, and are primarily used to fight wildfires, typically in rural areas.
A wide variety of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are used for aerial firefighting. In 2003, it was reported that "The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management own, lease, or contract for nearly 1,000 aircraft each fire season, with annual expenditures in excess of US$250 million in recent years".
The planes are fitted with tanks that skim large bodies of water to "scoop" water up and then drop it on fires from above. A Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper firefighting plane dropping water on a ...
The specifically designed CL-415 firefighting planes are used to scoop up more than 1,500 gallons of ocean water to drop on active fires. The plane in question, ...
The operation of the aircraft was the initiative of philanthropist Lucy Avilés and her husband Benjamin Walton, who funded the costs. [20] In September 2017, the Supertanker was contracted by Cal Fire. [21] In December 2017, the plane was leased by Cal Fire during the late-2017 wildfire season with most drops over the Thomas Fire. [22]
Since 2020, there have been at least 14 fatal crashes of airplanes and helicopters fighting fires in the U.S., killing at least 25 pilots and crew members, according to a Times review of federal data.
AT-802U prototype at Paris Air Show. In response to the United States Air Force's LAAR program and the growing requirement for light counter-insurgency aircraft, [5] Air Tractor developed an armed model, the AT-802U, in 2008, with engine and cockpit armor, a bulletproof windscreen, self-sealing fuel tanks, and structural reinforcements for the carriage of 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) of payload.