Sun, Dec 18, 2011
Water Bombers Have Dropped Over 1.3 Billion Gallons Of Fire
Suppressant
It may well be the least-well known of the Bombardier line, but
it's apparently a real workhorse. Bombardier announced Thursday
that its 415 aircraft has reached an important milestone in less
than 20 years life span: over 200,000 hours flown since its
entry-into-service.
"Given the limited amount of actual specialized flying time per
year, it is quite impressive that the Bombardier 415 program has
attained a remarkable rate of 200,000 flight hours during which it
has dropped over five billion litres (1.3 billion gallons) of
water," said Michel Bourgeois, President, Specialized and
Amphibious Aircraft & Military Aviation Training, Bombardier
Aerospace. "It is no wonder many believe that the Bombardier 415
aircraft is one of the most successful aerial firefighting aircraft
programs in history."
Including the recent order from an undisclosed customer,
Bombardier has booked firm orders for a total of 84 aircraft, and
to date, 76 Bombardier 415 aircraft are in service with more than
18 operators worldwide. The production of the Bombardier 415
aircraft integrates a high level of craftsmanship and is adapted to
meet the requirements of customers. A team of in-service support
experts is available at all times to assist the operators.
The Bombardier 415 has a normal cruise speed of 180 ktas and in
an average mission of six nautical miles distance from water to
fire, it can complete nine drops within an hour, delivering 14,600
U.S. gallons of fire suppressant. The aircraft is also offered in a
multi-purpose version, the Bombardier 415 MP aircraft, for search
and rescue, maritime patrol and environmental protection, while
maintaining its firefighting capability. Malaysia and Greece have
each taken delivery of two Bombardier 415 MP aircraft for special
mission roles.
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