New-Build Firefighting Aircraft In Production

One of the business units abandoned by Bombardier a few years ago is flourishing under its new Canadian owner as it capitalizes on the worldwide increase in wildfires. De Havilland Canada bought Bombardier's highly specialized amphibious water bomber business and is now building new DHC-515 Firefighter water skimming aircraft at its Calgary, Alberta, plant from components and subassemblies made at its Victoria, B.C., facility.

The company has firm orders for 11 of the aircraft from a consortium of European countries as the launch customer and will be kept busy building and delivering them for the balance of this decade. The 515 is a modernized derivative of the Canadair CL-415 that first flew in the 1960s that grew out of the piston-powered CL-215 from the 1950s. The new-build aircraft feature upgraded engines, modern avionics and computerized water dumping systems.