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DeHavilland Canada Launches a New Firefighting Aircraft, It's Already a Winner!

With all the climate changes in the world, widespread fires are happening more often, so there is a high demand for effective firefighters, such as this DHC-515 from DeHavilland-Canada, which is the newest aircraft able to tame the fires.
DeHavilland Canada DHC firefighting aircraft 8 photos
Photo: DeHavilland Canada
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Sometimes fires happen in the forests, and they need to be extinguished as fast as possible. However, since flames are spreading with incredible speed, sometimes firefighters need more than trucks and tons of courage to extinguish wildfires. Since some of these fires are happening in remote areas, almost unreachable with any kind of wheeled or tracked vehicle, an aircraft is the best bet.

The most efficient airplanes in firefighting are the amphibious ones, which can land on water, refill and take off to drop their loads on top of large areas. With the DHC-515 Firefighter, DeHavilland can drop up to 700,000 liters (app. 185,000 US gallons) per day, twice as much as its closest competitor.

DHC-515 was built after the aircraft maker learned essential lessons from the DHC-415 firefighter aircraft. Thanks to its rugged construction and intelligent technologies, it can refill in just 12 seconds from any lake, river, or sea. That's an important advantage over land-based aircraft. Also, unlike a helicopter, which has to stop and drop the tank to refill it, the airplane doesn't have to. It can fill "on the run" while cruising on the water.

Like the DHC-415, the new model features a straight-wing design with a big wingspan and turboprop engines placed on top. These prove to be more trustworthy at lower speeds than jet engines. Moreover, they emit up to 50% lower CO2 in the air and are more fuel-efficient than turbofans. The aircraft can refill even in rough waters, with up to 6 ft (2 meters) waves, thanks to its rugged construction. It can also perform in high winds, typical with megafires. Unfortunately, due to climate changes, wildfires are happening more often than a few decades ago, and new solutions are needed. DeHavilland Canada installed state-of-the-art electronic equipment and navigation systems, so the aircraft would be more effective in the battles with fires.

By now, the DHC-515 won the hearts and money of 22 European customers. Countries like France, Greece, and Spain already used the DHC-415 for firefighting, so they trust DHC aircraft. Due to that, the factory from Calgary, Canada, will deliver the last batch around 2025.


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Editor's note: Gallery also shows images of the DHC-415 aircraft

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About the author: Tudor Serban
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Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all.
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