COLORADO SPRINGS: Global SuperTanker Services, LLC announced the agreement Wednesday 12th august 2015 at the Colorado Springs Airport. Colorado Springs will serve as the new operating base for the Boeing 747-400 aircraft to be the fastest, longest-range and most effective aerial firefighting platform in the world.

The President of Global SuperTanker Service LLC, Jim Wheeler says the new SuperTanker is bigger and better than before. “What we have done is taken the old systems and we’re renovating and modernizing some of it,” he says. “Putting it in a 747-400 to provide a 19,600 gallon aerial firefighting tanker.”

One of those improvements is the ability to carry more than one firefighting agent at once. “We can put gel on a structure to prevent fire from catching that structure then come back and paint a retardant line,” Wheeler said. “Or we can do a water drop to tamp down a fire while we come back and put a retardant line on it.”

It has the capability to fight fires any where in the world, but it will live in our backyard. “These folks are going to be a big player in fighting that nemesis,” said Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers.

The plane is expected to be completed later this year, and operational next year.

The Global SuperTanker company says they chose the Colorado Springs airport because of its infrastructure and central location. It’s business that the airport hopes will translate into other aspects of operations.

Source : the denver channel , koaa

History of super tanker

The Evergreen Supertanker was a Boeing 747-100 widebody aircraft that was modified into an aerial firefighting aircraft by Evergreen International Aviation. The aircraft was originally manufactured by Boeing in 1971 for Delta Air Lines. With a capacity of 20,500 US gallons (77,600 liters), it was the largest aerial firefighting aircraft in the world. It served for 4 years (2009 – 2013) and presently Evergreen Supertanker Stored at Marana Pinal Airpark. USA.

The Evergreen Supertanker is equipped with a pressurized liquid drop system, which can disperse retardant under high pressure or drop retardant at the speed of falling rain. This system allows the aircraft to operate within its design criteria.Using the pressurized system, the aircraft can deliver retardant to the scene of a fire while flying at a height of 400 to 800 feet (120–240 m), at approximately 140 kn (260 km/h, 160 mph), configured as if it were on approach for landing. it can fly at speeds of around 600 mph (970 km/h; 520 kn) during cruise.

 Source : Wikipedia

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