Huge firefighting aircraft ready for US wildfire season
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Global SuperTanker, the world's largest firefighting aircraft, is ready for the upcoming wildfire season.
The Arizona Republic reports that the Boeing 747-400 series passenger jet converted for firefighting recently underwent maintenance at Pinal Airpark outside Tucson. The retrofitted aircraft has been used to fight wildfires in California, Chile, Israel and elsewhere.
The plane can dump up to 19,200 gallons (72,678 liters) of water or retardant in just six seconds and fly as low as 200 feet (61 meters) above the ground to do its work. It can be refilled in just 13 minutes.
The SuperTanker proved indispensable in 2018 helping battle some of the most devastating wildfires in California history.
"It's a force multiplier," chief pilot Cliff Hale said. "When you need to build containment lines fast, having that very large capacity can really help the guys out on the ground."
