First Bombardier 415 Aircraft Sale in US Celebrated

Bombardier has celebrated the sale and delivery of its 50th iconic Bombardier 415 superscooper aircraft assembled at its North Bay, Ontario facility. The aircraft, purchased by a partnership led by Tenax Aerospace LLC of Ridgeland, Miss., will be used under contract to the United States Forest Service starting next month. Based on the list price, the Bombardier contract is valued at approximately US$34.5 million.

 

The Bombardier 415 superscooper aircraft is specifically built as an aerial firefighting airplane. It is able to land on unpaved runways, lakes, rivers and seas, enabling both rapid initial attacks to extinguish fires and sustained attacks to contain fires, according to the manufacturer.

 

"Today, we are celebrating two milestones: the 50th Bombardier 415 aircraft assembled in North Bay, Ontario as well as the first United States Bombardier 415 aircraft sale and delivery," said Michel Bourgeois, president, specialized and amphibious aircraft, Bombardier Aerospace. "I want to congratulate the employees for this achievement and to welcome the Tenax team to the amphibious aircraft family. This is yet another testament to the true value of the expertise of our employees and of our superscooper aircraft that remains the top aerial firefighting choice around the world," he continued.

 

While the 50th Bombardier 415 aircraft to roll out of North Bay, Ontario, is the first to be sold to a United States customer, a total of five state-owned and privately owned CL-215 aircraft, the predecessor to the Bombardier 415 aircraft, are currently operated in the United States.

 

Since the first Bombardier 415 amphibious aircraft was delivered in 1994, a total of 85 Bombardier 415 and four Bombardier 415 MP aircraft have been delivered to governments and firefighting agencies around the world. In addition, 80 CL-215 and CL-215T amphibious piston aircraft remain in service worldwide.

 

The Bombardier 415 firefighter aircraft has a normal cruise speed of 180kts (333km/h) under certain conditions. In an average mission of 6nm (11km) distance from water to fire, it can complete nine drops within an hour and precisely deliver 14,589 US gal (55,233L) of fire suppressant.