Water bombers and wildfires

Wildfires in Canada 2025

Canadian-built waterbomber gets upgrade for global wildfire fight
Jeffrey Jones, ESG and Sustainable Finance Reporter
(Globe & Mail) With wildfires wreaking more devastation around the world each year, Canada has what other countries want: an aircraft that keeps proving itself in the battle against damage, dislocation and chaos.
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd.’s twin-engine firefighter planes are renowned for their manoeuvrability, and for expertly skimming along bodies of water to fill up with large volumes to dump on infernos – and do it repeatedly.
This spring and summer, as out-of-control fires have scorched vast tracts of forest in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and forced thousands of people to flee their homes, the aircraft known as the CL-215 and CL-415 were hard at work again in the most dangerous conditions. Some of these workhorses are decades old and De Havilland Canada is modernizing them with new turbine engines and other gear.
The company is also assembling the next generation of firefighting aircraft, starting with an order of 22 planes that are headed for Europe, which like Canada is struggling with a growing wildfire scourge.
The Canadair 515 is the first new model of the waterbomber to go into production since 2016. Since then, B.C.-based Longview Aviation Capital has acquired the storied De Havilland Canada brand from Bombardier Inc. The company, which built its first aircraft in 1928, is also known for the Twin Otter and Dash 8-400 turboprop planes. [not sure this is accurate]
De Havilland is producing the 515 in stages in Victoria and Calgary with parts from across the country. It is designed with an upgraded flight deck kitted out with the latest in avionics, aimed at bolstering safety and reliability in the harsh conditions in which the company’s planes already excel. The waterbomber is also built with improved materials, including advanced composites and polymers, and corrosion protection. First deliveries are scheduled for 2028.
On a recent tour of one of the company’s facilities in northeast Calgary, about 15 engineers and technicians were hard at work retrofitting a CL-215 to the latest standards – including switching out piston engines for turbine ones.
The existing De Havilland waterbomber aircraft remain crucial to firefighting fleets around the world. Six Canadian provinces operate them. Quebec sent two CL-415s to battle the Los Angeles fires last year.
Europe’s heat wave, wildfires leave multiple dead as temperatures soar

8 June
Carney lays out Canada’s G7 summit priorities
PM pushing for agreements and action on peace, energy security and new partnerships
(CBC) …Carney said Canada will “seek agreements and co-ordinated action” on three core missions.
The first is protecting Canadian communities and the world by strengthening peace and security, countering foreign interference as well as transnational crime and improving joint responses to wildfires.

5 June
Demand for water bombers has ‘skyrocketed’ as Canada grapples with more intense wildfires
(CBC) … But the CL-415 hasn’t been manufactured in a decade. Bombardier sold the rights to the model in 2016. De Havilland Canada, the new manufacturer, began building a factory near Calgary in 2022 to produce a newer model. The company told CBC News that production at that plant has begun but it has several orders in line, including from international buyers.
“To date, we have had 22 orders from EU member states and are in discussions with a number of Canadian and European customers to grow their fleets. We are now in production and are ramping up to meet current and future demand,” the company said in an emailed statement.
… As Canada continues to see severe wildfires, at least one province is bringing previously grounded planes back into its fleet. Newfoundland and Labrador announced this spring that it would be repairing a CL-415 that had been out of service since 2018.
23 April
N.L. government commits to repairing 5th water bomber 7 years after grounding
The CL-415 water bomber was damaged in 2018
(CBC) On Wednesday the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure announced a $17-million contract has been awarded to aircraft manufacturer De Havilland Aircraft of Canada to repair the province’s fifth CL-415 water bomber.
… Churchill Falls and Labrador City faced evacuation orders in June and July [2024]. Firefighters were brought in from New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario to help suppress the fires, including using a bird dog aircraft, a type of plane that leads a fleet of water bombers, flown by a pilot and an air attack officer.
Bird dogs control the air traffic in a fire zone and can pinpoint the best area to drop water by flying 100 to 1,000 feet above it. Quebec and Ontario have systematically used bird dog aircraft to coordinate water bomber operations since the 1980s.

2024

1 August
De Havilland Canada Amalgamation
On August 1, 2024, our group of Canadian aviation corporations, including De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, De Havilland Flight Operations Limited, Viking Air Limited, Longview Aviation Services Inc. and Longview Distribution Services Limited, will complete an amalgamation with our common parent corporation, Longview Aviation Capital Corp. The newly amalgamated corporation will be named De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited.
Please note that our recently completed acquisitions including Kitchener Aero Avionics Limited (doing business as Mid-Canada Mod Centre) and De Havilland Parts & Aerostructures Limited (which acquired the Calgary-based aerospace parts manufacturing business of Field Aerospace) will continue to operate as wholly-owned subsidiaries of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited.

15 May
Are Canada’s water bombers ready for forest fires?
(Global news) Wildfires have already started to burn across Canada this year, forcing thousands to evacuate in communities like Fort McMurray, Alta., and Fort Nelson, B.C.
One expert said he’s worried the backbone of Canada’s efforts to fight the flames may struggle if the country experiences a summer like 2023, which was the worst wildfire season ever recorded, when 18.5 million hectares of land burned.
“The water tanker fleet is old,” said John Gradek, an aviation industry expert and lecturer at McGill University’s aviation management program. “There are no similar pieces of equipment being built.”

2022

31 March
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC) Launches DHC-515 Firefighter [Program]
De Havilland Canada acquired the Canadair CL program in 2016 and has been contemplating a return to production since 2019.
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland Canada) is pleased to announce that it has launched the De Havilland DHC-515 Firefighter (formerly known as the CL-515) program.
“After an extensive business and technical review, we are pleased to announce that we have launched the De Havilland DHC-515 Firefighter program, which will involve negotiating contracts with our European customers and ramping up for production,” said Brian Chafe, Chief Executive Officer of De Havilland Canada.
The DHC-515 Firefighter will build on the history of the iconic Canadair CL-215 and CL-415 aircraft which have been a critical part of European and North American aerial firefighting fleets for over 50 years. Important upgrades are being made that will increase the functionality and effectiveness of this legendarily rugged firefighting aircraft.
European customers have signed letters of intent to purchase the first 22 aircraft pending the positive outcome of government-to-government negotiations through the Government of Canada’s contracting agency, the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC). De Havilland Canada expects first deliveries of the DHC-515 by the middle of the decade, with deliveries of aircraft 23 and beyond to begin at the end of the decade, providing other customers the opportunity to renew existing fleets or proceed with new acquisition opportunities at that time.

De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

(AI Overview) The De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a legendary bush plane known for its ruggedness, versatility, and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities, making it ideal for accessing remote areas. It was designed in response to requests from Canadian bush pilots and first flew in 1947. The Beaver’s design allows it to operate on wheels, skis, or floats, and it has been used in various roles, including cargo and passenger transport, aerial application, and even military operations.

The De Havilland Beaver, An Engineering Masterpiece | The Immortal Beaver (YouTube film)
The Immortal Beaver follows the resurrection of de Havilland Beaver, “Olivia”, who has been resting quietly for years in the Arizona desert, adjacent to the infamous ‘aeroplane boneyard’ outside Tucson. With exclusive interviews with Harrison Ford- a proud Beaver pilot and owner- the film follows the compelling story of Olivia’s rescue and restoration- celebrating the history of a remarkable aircraft.

The De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a legendary bush plane known for its ruggedness, versatility, and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities, making it ideal for accessing remote areas. It was designed in response to requests from Canadian bush pilots and first flew in 1947. The Beaver’s design allows it to operate on wheels, skis, or floats, and it has been used in various roles, including cargo and passenger transport, aerial application, and even military operations.
Are De Havilland beavers still made?
De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver | The Canadian Encyclopedia
De Havilland Canada stopped producing the Beaver in 1967. In 1983, it sold the tooling and drawings for the plane to Viking Air of Sidney, British Columbia. Viking continues to offer parts and support for the plane. Many Beavers still fly today, although it is common for operators to have modified them.