Coulson Aviation awarded Australian Large Air Tanker contract, facilitating continued support of bush fire season

Port Alberni, B.C. – January 17, 2023 - Coulson Aviation is excited to announce it has been awarded the contract for Australia’s National Large Air Tanker (LAT). The converted Boeing 737, Tanker 139, is the newest addition to Coulson’s FireLiner™ fleet and will be based in Sydney, New South Wales but will support additional locations in-country as needed. As the National LAT, Tanker 139 will wear the name “Phoenix” as a result of a naming competition last year via local Australian schools and joint winners Bishop Druitt College Coffs Harbour, St Patrick’s College Campbelltown, and Christian College Geelong.

“Coulson is proud to provide our state-of-the-art aircraft to the Federal Australian Government. This aircraft is an incredibly efficient bomber and the crews that operate each of our aircraft are second to none,” said Coulson Aviation Australia CEO Britt Coulson. “Working alongside dedicated Australian firefighters, Phoenix will be one of the key assets supporting this upcoming bush fire season,” said Britt.

The 737 is in Australia funded by the Commonwealth Government through a partnership with the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC). The contract is for two years with the option to extend. Phoenix is equipped with Coulson Aviation’s Retardant Aerial Delivery System (RADS), the Company's patented tanking and release system. With RADS onboard, the aircraft is capable of dropping up to 4,000 gallons of retardant or water at flow rates of up to 3,000 gallons per second.

The State and Territory agencies involved in firefighting and land management recognize that improved performance and other synergies may be obtained through cooperation and sharing of aircraft resources. The NAFC arrangements allow for the procurement and sharing of these resources nationally.

Coulson Aviation is the only company in the world to convert a Boeing 737 commercial airliner into a multi-mission FireLiner™ aircraft. The Company has operated in Australia for almost 20 years, providing aerial support across multiple Australian States. Coulson’s roots in aviation, combined with the company’s proprietary technology, a wide array of aircraft types, and well-trained attack crews, allow simultaneous aerial firefighting support across multiple regions.

About Coulson Aviation

Coulson Aviation is a global leader in aerial support operations. Throughout the company's 60+ years as an organization, the mission has remained the same: to protect the world from forest fires. Our organizational capabilities allow our team to provide simultaneous aerial support across numerous continents.