Back Boeing 747#Sonstige Varianten German Evergreen 747 Supertanker Spanish Boeing 747 Supertanker French אוורגרין 747 סופרטנקר HE Evergreen 747 Supertanker ID Boeing 747 Supertanker Italian 747 スーパータンカー Japanese 747 Supertanker Portuguese 747 Supertanker Russian 747超級滅火機 Chinese
| 747 Supertanker | |
|---|---|
| |
| Global 747-400 Supertanker, N744ST | |
| Role | Aerial firefighting |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Designer | Evergreen International Aviation |
| First flight | 2006 |
| Introduction | 2009 |
| Retired | 2021 |
| Status | N744ST Converted into a freighter and sold to National Airlines |
| Primary users | Global SuperTanker Services Evergreen International Aviation (former) |
| Number built | 3 |
| Developed from | Boeing 747 |
The 747 Supertanker is a retired aerial firefighting airtanker derived from various Boeing 747 models. The aircraft is rated to carry up to 19,600 US gallons (74,000 L) of fire retardant or water. It is the largest aerial firefighting aircraft in the world.[1]
Initially developed by Evergreen International Aviation, the first Supertanker was based on a 747-200 (N470EV, tanker/tail number 947), but never entered service. The second Supertanker (N479EV, tanker/tail number 979) was based on a 747-100 originally manufactured by Boeing in 1971 for Delta Air Lines.[2] It entered service for the first time in 2009, fighting a fire in Cuenca, Spain, and made its first American operation on August 31, 2009 at the Oak Glen Fire in California. It is no longer in service.[3][4][5]
The third 747 Supertanker was developed by Global Supertanker Services (which acquired most of Evergreen's assets), who owns and operates the aircraft currently. The Global Supertanker (N744ST, tanker/tail number 944) is a Boeing 747-400 dubbed the Spirit of John Muir. It was certified for firefighting flights by the Federal Aviation Administration in September 2016 and fought fires in Chile and Israel before being contracted by U.S. officials to fight California wildfires in 2017.[6] It also took part in firefighting in Bolivia in August 2019. It was retired in 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
coloradospringsgazettewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Aircraft - N-Number Inquiry". Registry. FAA. October 31, 2014. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ El 'superavión' bombero no fue efectivo en incendio Serranía de Cuenca Archived October 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, ABC (in Spanish; dead link).
- ^ Oak Glen Incident and Pendleton Branch, Rim of the world Archived September 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (map).
- ^ Oak Glen Incident, Inciweb Archived January 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, InciWeb
- ^ Firefighting Boeing 747 takes on California wildfires, 2018 Aug 8 Seattle: Biz journals.