Bombardier sells four firefighting aircraft

Bombardier Aerospace says it has sold four Bombardier 415 amphibious firefighting aircraft, worth $118.2 million (U.S.), to an undisclosed customer.

The buyer also purchased special-mission equipment, Montreal-based Bombardier said yesterday.

The sale includes spare-parts provisioning, training and technical support. Deliveries will begin during the last quarter of the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2008, and will continue until 2009.

"Since its launch in 1994, the Bombardier 415 has consistently proved itself to be a reliable and effective firefighting tool," Michel Bourgeois, the president of Bombardier Amphibious Aircraft, said in a news release.

"The aircraft's unique operational capabilities and exceptional performance allow it to operate in the most rugged and demanding of circumstances, and it is recognized around the world as the most effective firefighting aircraft available."

Since the first Bombardier 415 amphibious aircraft was delivered in 1994, 65 have gone to firefighting agencies in Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Ontario and Quebec. In addition, 67 CL-215 amphibious piston aircraft remain in service fighting fires.

The Bombardier 415 has a maximum speed of 359 kilometres an hour. In an average mission of 11 kilometres from water to fire, the aircraft can complete nine drops within an hour and deliver 55,233 litres of fire suppressant.

The aircraft also has a multi-purpose version, the Bombardier 415MP, which can be used in a variety of specialized missions, such as search and rescue, maritime patrol and environmental protection.