Coulson Aviation extends aerial firefighting support to South America via new contracts in Chile for the C-130H Hercules Large AirTanker and Citation 550

Thermal, California – November 14, 2023 – Coulson Aviation is pleased to announce it has been awarded a three-year firefighting contract with Chile’s Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF) for a C-130H Hercules Large AirTanker and a Citation 550 air attack lead plane with its partner BRYSA. 

“We are honored to continue supporting Chile with our aircraft,” said Britton Coulson, President and COO, Coulson Aviation. “We have been successfully fighting fires in Chile for the past three years with our Boeing CH-47D’s and Lockheed C-130H’s with great success. This new contract solidifies Coulson’s presence with the largest airtanker in the country. It also recognizes the value our C-130 and Citation 550 working together to provide an efficient and productive aerial firefighting response.” 

The Citation 550 air attack lead plane allows Coulson’s highly trained air attacks to coordinate the aerial assets on a fire from above for safety and efficiency. The fast, maneuverable jet maintains an altitude above all firefighting helicopters and airplanes, allowing the crew to direct aircraft, provide safe separation, and increase efficiency of overall operations, which significantly increases productivity. Coulson Aviation is the only aerial firefighting company operating Large Airtankers with Air Attack Lead Aircraft internationally. 

The C-130H is equipped with Coulson’s 4,000-gallon Retardant Aerial Delivery System (RADS-XXL), the most widely used, highest-volume tanking system for LATs worldwide. At half the cost and one-sixth the weight of competing systems, Coulson’s RADS-XXL requires no additional crew or equipment, provides real-time flow rate and superior drop zone coverage, and reduces overall pilot workload.

Built by Lockheed Martin, the C-130H Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It has a capacity of 4,000 gallons (15,000 liters) and is considered one of the world’s most powerful aerial firefighting aircraft due to its range, versatility, and suppression ability per drop.