We don’t yet have the tanker and tail numbers for the seven “new” aircraft. Although, one person in the air tanker industry told us that those numbers should not really matter, saying a company should be able to trade out an air tanker for an identical one for maintenance or other reasons. If, of course, the company has the luxury of having a duplicate air tanker sitting around.
On October 4, 2015 we updated the list above to reflect that Neptune replaced T-06 with T-14.
The first flight of Conair’s BAe Avro RJ85 air tanker in September, 2013 built for Aero-Flite. Conair photo by Jeff Bough.
Today the U.S. Forest Service announced contract awards for seven additional large and very large air tankers. The aircraft being added to the exclusive use contracted fleet are four BAe-146s operated by Neptune Aviation, two RJ85s flown by Aero-FLite, and one DC-10 operated by 10 Tanker Air Carrier.
The contract solicitation, issued November 26, 2015, is for what the USFS calls “next generation” air tankers, which must be turbine or turbofan (jet) powered, can cruise at 300 knots (345 mph), and have a retardant capacity of at least 3,000 gallons. The DC-10 carries 11,600 gallons, while the others can hold up to about 3,000 gallons.
This brings the total number of next-gen air tankers on exclusive use contracts to 14. There are also seven “legacy” air tankers on exclusive use contracts, all operated by Neptune. Six are Korean War vintage P2Vs which usually carry about 2,100 gallons and are powered by two 18-cylinder radial engines. There is also one BAe-146 on the legacy contract.
These new next-gen awards, which begin this year, are for a five-year period with options for five additional years, with at least 160 days of mandatory availability every year.
The daily rates for Neptune’s BAe-146s, which is paid even if the aircraft is not used that day, varies during the possible 10-year period from $29,000 to $32,640 each day, while the hourly flight rate is from $8,000 to $9,274.
The daily rate for Aero-Flite’s Rj85 are from $28,581 to $35,546, and their flight rate is $7,559 to $9,862 per hour. The daily rate for the DC-10, a Very Large Air Tanker, are from $34,000 to $35,000, and the hourly rate is $13,600.
These rates do not include the cost of fuel, which will be paid by the government.
Most of the contracts the U.S. Forest Service has attempted to issue in recent years for large and very large air tankers have been protested, which suspends the activation of the contract until the Government Accountability Office adjudicates the dispute. This contract has already been protested by Coulson Aviation and Erickson Aero Tanker even before the closing date of the solicitation. However, the GAO decided in July to deny the protests. But that does not mean that there will not be additional protests now that the contracts have been awarded.
This is the US Forest Service approved paint design that will be used on the seven HC-130H air tankers acquired from the Coast Guard. The aircraft will be maintained and operated according to Coast Guard guidelines, rather than Federal Aviation Administration procedures.
After the Governor of Montana wrote a strongly worded letter to the Secretary of Agriculture complaining about what he called “nonsensical restrictions” that prohibit the use of the state’s five UH-1H helicopters on U.S. Forest Service protected lands, we started looking into the root of the problem. The former military helicopters are actually owned by the USFS, and are leased to the state under the provisions of the Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) program which require that the helicopters be maintained in full compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. But the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) apparently does not hold FAA Airworthiness Certificates for the helicopters.
However, the USFS does not maintain all of their government owned aircraft in strict compliance with FAA regulations.
When we asked the USFS why the agency does not allow the non-certificated Montana aircraft to be used on USFS lands, Public Affairs Specialist Jennifer Jones, told us:
The Forest Service and the State of Montana Department have different standards and regulations to which each must adhere. Federal agencies, including the Forest Service, follow federal operational aviation safety standards that prescribe minimum specifications for the types of aircraft. These performance specifications provide an industry recognized margin of safety.
The USFS and the rules governing the loan of FEEP aircraft require the Montana helicopters to be maintained and modified according to FAA standards. Since these requirements are not met, the helicopters can’t be used on USFS fires.
Even though the USFS requires compliance with FAA procedures for their contracted air tankers and helicopters — and the state of Montana’s aircraft — the following USFS aircraft are not FAA certified, nor will they be:
Tanker 118, the HC-130H acquired from the Coast Guard that has been dropping retardant on fires this summer using a Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS). Neither the aircraft or the MAFFS have ever been certificated by the FAA.
The other six HC-130H aircraft that are being transferred from the Coast Guard to the USFS.
Four C-23A Sherpas used for smokejumping and hauling cargo.
Two AH-1 Cobra helicopters.
The eight MAFFS units used in military C-130s for fighting wildfires, and the modifications made to the C-130s so that they can use the MAFFS.
After the seven HC-130H aircraft are finished with their heavy maintenance and air tanker retrofitting, they will be owned by the USFS and maintained and operated by contractors. But they will not be brought under the FAA umbrella, according to Mrs. Jones:
The U.S. Forest Service’s firefighting mission is a Public Use mission in government owned aircraft. The Forest Service maintains airworthiness on Tanker 118 in accordance with Coast Guard maintenance standards, and the Coast Guard maintains engineering authority.
The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve C-130s used to drop retardant with the MAFFS are maintained, modified, and operated according to military procedures.
Aircraft shall conform to an approved type design, be maintained and operated in accordance with Type Certificate (TC) requirements and applicable Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs). The aircraft shall be maintained in accordance with an FAA approved inspection program and must include an FAA approved Supplemental Structural Inspection Document (SSID), Structural Inspection Document (SID), or Instruction for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) for the airframe structure, as applicable with an ICA and Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) approved by the manufacturer (or equivalent) and the FAA for the airtanker role.
The USFS is not the only federal agency operating former military aircraft that bypasses the FAA. Others include the Coast Guard, NASA, and NOAA.
We asked a person in the commercial air tanker industry (who did not want their name disclosed) about the USFS not following FAA procedures:
The FAA governs the largest fleet of commercial aircraft in the world and are looked upon by foreign agencies as the golden standard. They can certify an A380 to pack 700 people but cannot certify a restricted category airtanker? The USFS is hiring a ton of ex-military people who all stick together with their other Air Force buddies and think the military is the be-all-end-all.
I think it would be fair to argue that the FAA knows much more about airtankers than the Air Force or the Coast Guard. The USCG maintenance program is not setup for an airtanker mission profile, nor is the USAF. I talked to the FAA guy who was on all the calls with the USFS about this program and he was in disbelief when they finally made the decision not to have any FAA involvement.
Here is a list of pending, and still unawarded, federal contract solicitations that we are aware of for firefighting aircraft or equipment:
Purchase of one to seven NEW large air tankers. The USFS intends to spend some funds appropriated by Congress that were specifically earmarked for the purchase of at least one brand new air tanker. The specs call for an internal removable retardant tank that holds at least 3,000 gallons. A meeting was held in D.C. with interested potential vendors on August 26, 2015 to talk about the purchase. So far, only a draft synopsis has been issued. The omnibus federal appropriations bill that was passed in December by Congress included a provision to allocate $65 million for the U. S. Forest Service air tanker fleet. This effort may be to spend those funds. And it may never see the light of day in passed legislation, but there has been a proposal to allocate left over firefighting funds each year toward the purchase of new air tankers. That could be why they are talking, here, one to seven new large air tankers which could be spread over multiple years.
Amphibious Water Scooping Aircraft (the USFS refuses to call them “air tankers”). The USFS intends to award contracts for up to two water scoopers. Issued August 20, 2015. Response date: September 11, 2015.
Next Generation V. 2.0 Large Air Tankers. This will be the second batch of awards for next generation air tankers. They intend to contract for up to seven. Issued November 26, 2015. Response date was modified at least once; latest was: April 9, 2015.
Retardant Delivery System. This was issued by the Air Force to obtain retardant tanks for the seven HC-130H former Coast Guard aircraft the Air Force is putting through heavy maintenance and retrofitting as air tankers before they are transferred to the U.S. Forest Service. The solicitation was modified 14 times. Presolicitation was issued July 29, 2014. The response date was changed at least once; latest was May 15, 2015.
Air Tanker Base Facilities Assessment. This is only a Request for Information at this stage, but we assume that an actual solicitation will be issued at a later date. The purpose of the assessment is to determine possible locations for basing, at least in the winter, the seven HC-130H aircraft the USFS will be receiving from the Coast Guard after the heavy maintenance and air tanker retrofitting is complete. Issued September 2, 2015. Response date: September 25, 2015.
These are the solicitations we were able to find at FedBizOpps.gov for firefighting aircraft and related items. If you’re aware of others that are still pending, let us know.
UPDATE, September 28, 2015: In responding to Kenneth’s comment about options for new air tankers, we mentioned Lockheed Martin’s new LM-100J (the commercial version of the C-130J) which COINCIDENTALLY sells for about $65 million, the amount appropriated in the legislation. We wrote about the aircraft in December, 2014. In searching for a link to the LM-100J today, we found the following image in a promotional video on Lockheed’s website, which shows the aircraft spraying fire retardant from a pressurized Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS).
An artist’s conception of a Lockheed Martin LM-100J using a slip-in MAFFS to dispense fire retardant. Screen shot from Lockheed’s video.
Keep in mind that Mark Rey who oversaw the Forest Service as the former Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment, has been a lobbyist for Lockheed Martin since he left the federal government in 2009 through that proverbial revolving door. The company hired him to lobby the Forest Service to buy the company’s “firefighting equipment”. Since 2009 Mr. Rey has been paid at least $432,000 by Lockheed Martin, according to Open Secrets.
One of two Cessna Citations Dynamic Aviation has under contract as lead planes. Photo by Dynamic Aviation.
When the folks at Dynamic Aviation saw a photo I took of one of their Cessna Citation lead planes last year, they sent me “a more recent picture” (above). They were too polite to say so, but I’m thinking the marketing department may have been uncomfortable with the photo that showed laundry hanging out of the forward luggage compartment. 🙂
Currently Dynamic Aviation, based in Bridgewater, Virginia, has the following aircraft under contract with the USFS and/or the BLM, according to Katie Dillon their Communications Manager:
A CV-580 spotted at Boise recently. Photo by Steve.
The U.S. Forest Service has 33 large air tankers currently activated in the United States; 15 on multi-year, full time exclusive use contracts, 9 on call when needed contracts (part time), 6 borrowed from Canada, and 4 military Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) C-130s.
This is the highest number of air tankers we have seen working in the United States at the same time in recent years — especially the 23 that are under some sort of U.S. Forest Service contract, full time exclusive use or call when needed part time. In 2002 there were 44 large air tankers on exclusive use contracts but that number declined over the next 12 years to a low point of 9 in 2013.
Here is the breakdown:
USFS Multi-year full time exclusive use (14) T-118 HC-130H U.S. Forest Service T-105 MD-87 Aero Air, LLC T-101 MD87 Aero Air, LLC T-161 RJ85 Aero Flite, Inc. T-160 RJ85 Aero Flite, Inc. T-260 CL-415 Aero Flite, Inc. T-912 DC-10 10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC T-131 C-130 Coulson T-10 BAe-146 Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-43 P2V Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-06 P2V Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-45 P2V Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-05 P2V Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-07 P2V Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-44 P2V Neptune Aviation Services, Inc.
USFS Call When Needed (part time) (9) T-911 DC-10 10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC T-910 DC-10 10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC T-02 BAe-146 Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-01 BAe-146 Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-41 BAe-146 Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-40 BAe-146 Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. T-162 RJ85 Aero Flite, Inc. T-163 RJ85 Aero Flite, Inc. T-164 RJ85 Aero Flite, Inc.
Canadian government (borrowed) (3) T-154 CV580 Alberta T-173 CV580 Saskatchewan T-174 CV580 Saskatchewan
MAFFS C-130s (4) MAFFS 2 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, Peterson Air Force Base MAFFS 5 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, Peterson Air Force Base MAFFS 1 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard MAFFS 9 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard
It is interesting that Aero Flite has five RJ85s converted, certified, staffed, and actively fighting fires, and Neptune has five BAe-146s doing the same. A few days ago three DC-10s began working at the same time, which is a first for 10 Tanker Air Carrier.
Department of the Interior air tankers
Until a few years ago the Bureau of Indian Affairs had two water scooping air tankers on contract, but now there is an agreement in place between the DOI and the USFS whereby the USFS will handle contracts for all large air tankers, including scoopers. Now there is just one scooping air tanker on contract with the federal government, a CL-415 operated by Aero Flite. Jennifer Jones, a spokesperson for the USFS, told us that the USFS does not consider the CL-415 to be an air tanker (or an “airtanker” as the agency calls them). To them it is a “scooper”.
The agreement also specified that the BLM would manage contracts for Single Engine Air Tankers and this year there are 33 SEATs, according to BLM spokesperson Randall Eardley.
More next-generation air tankers on the way?
Months ago the USFS issued a solicitation for “up to seven” additional next-generation air tankers. It was protested by two vendors before the solicitation even closed but those were both denied by the GAO. We checked, and Mrs. Jones told us that they are still working through the contracting process. After they make a decision about awards, then there is a 30-day waiting period while Congress is notified, after which the agency can actually award contracts — which could be protested again at that point.
Mrs. Jones said:
While we are working diligently to complete the contracting process, there is no estimated timeframe for completing that, notifying Congress, announcing awards, etc. at this time.
Coulson’s Tanker 132 during the grid tests in Lancaster, California during the week of May 4, 2015. Coulson photo.
Coulson’s L-382G, a civilian version of Lockheed’s C-130, has received an air tanker contract in New South Wales, Australia, according to a report on the company’s Facebook page. Tanker 132 is due to start there on September 1, so they are prepping it now for the overseas flight. They expect to have it in Sydney in the last week of August.
Coulson says the aircraft has their latest Coulson SMART 4,400-gallon retardant tank system.
The retardant tank rolling into Coulson’s L-382G, Tanker 132. Coulson photo.
(Originally published August 5, 2015; updated August 8, 2015)
Over the last year the U.S. Forest Service has awarded or solicited for at least five contracts for conversion and maintenance of the 15 C-23B aircraft that were authorized to be transferred from the U.S. Army to the USFS by legislation signed in December of 2013. The C-23B is the military version of the Shorts 360 (also known as a Sherpa and SD3-60). The USFS plans to use these aircraft to replace all of the USFS owned and contracted aircraft used for smokejumping except for two agency-owned DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otters that will be retained for backcountry operations.
These contracts include:
Development installation, and certification of an integrated flight deck and avionics system on 4 to 15 of the aircraft. Awarded July 29, 2015 to Field Aerospace.
Paint up to 15 of the aircraft. Awarded August 19, 2014 to Straube’s Aircraft Services.
Aviation maintenance services to support USFS fleet aircraft in Boise, Idaho. This also includes other aircraft: Aero Commander AC 500B, Beechcraft King Air Series, Bell 206BIII, Bell AH-1 Cobra, Cessna Citation 550 Bravo, Cessna C-185, Cessna TU206, DeHaviland DHC-2 Beaver, DeHaviland DHC-6 Twin Otter, Piper PA18-150, and Shorts C-23A Sherpa. Awarded December 15, 2014 to Turbo Air, Inc.
Avionics maintenance services to support for USFS fleet aircraft within a 150 nautical mile radius of Redmond, OR, Ogden, UT, and Missoula, MT. This also includes support for Aero Commander AC 500B, Beechcraft King Air Series, Bell 206BIII, Bell AH-1 Cobra, Cessna Citation 550 Bravo, Cessna C-185, Cessna TU206, DeHaviland DHC-2 Beaver, DeHaviland DHC-6 Twin Otter, Piper PA18-150, and Shorts C-23A Sherpa. There is no indication on fbo.gov that this has been awarded.
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Support Services to include subscriptions to technical publications, maintenance technical support, engineering data, engineering technical support, and maintenance support. On July 9, 2015 a sole source award was given to Shorts Brothers, doing business as Bombardier Aerospace.
Maintenance services Contractor Logistics Services (CLS) in support of smokejumper operations, primarily in Ogden, Utah. Awarded to Neptune Aviation, June 30, 2015.
The agency will use a Government Owned-Mixed Operations (GO/MO) model for the C-23B fleet. Some will be operated by Forest Service pilots and others will be operated by private industry under contract. The aircraft will also be maintained under a GO/MO model with contractor and agency maintenance
Now that the U.S. Forest service has awarded exclusive use contracts to seven additional “next generation” large air tankers, we have updated our list — which has now expanded to 21. That’s the most since 2008. The USFS is slowly rebuilding the fleet which had atrophied, declining to 9 in 2013 after having 44 in 2002.
