Bombardier Sells Four 415 Amphibious Firefighting

Bombardier Aerospace announced the sale of four Bombardier 415 amphibious aircraft to an undisclosed customer. This is the second order from this customer, who has previously ordered one Bombardier 415 aircraft. Based on the current list price, the contract for the four aircraft is valued at approximately $162 million US and includes training and initial spares provisioning. Delivery of the aircraft will begin in the second quarter of 2011 and continue through to the first quarter of 2013.

"The Bombardier 415 aircraft is recognized as the market leader in the aerial firefighting industry and has been selected worldwide by countries such as Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Canada and Spain," said Michel Bourgeois, President, Specialized and Amphibious Aircraft & Military Aviation Training, Bombardier Aerospace. "With its unique operational capabilities and exceptional performance, the Bombardier 415 aircraft operates in the most rugged and demanding of conditions," he added.

Recent orders for the Bombardier 415 aircraft include those from the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland & Labrador and Manitoba, with four aircraft each.

Since the first Bombardier 415 amphibious aircraft was delivered in 1994, a total of 75 Bombardier 415 and four Bombardier 415 MP aircraft have been delivered to governments and firefighting agencies around the world. In addition, 64 CL-215 amphibious piston aircraft remain in service.

The Bombardier 415 firefighter aircraft has a normal cruise speed of 180KT (333km/h) under certain conditions. In an average mission of six nautical miles (11 kilometres) distance from water to fire, it can complete nine drops within an hour and deliver 14,589 US gallons (55,233 litres) of fire suppressant.