Jumbo tanker to fight Amazon fires
By Geoffrey Thomas Sat Aug 24, 2019
The Bolivian president, Evo Morales has announced that the Global SuperTanker Services and its 747-400 jumbo will take part in combating forest fires in the Amazon.
The fires that started in Brazil have spread to Bolivia.
According to AirShowInfo, the tanker will be operational on Friday, while Flightradar24, reports that the jumbo is already en-route to Santa Cruz.
The 747-400 supertanker, which was formerly used by Japan Air Lines, can carry 115 000 litres of water.
The supertanker has two separate, but identical constant flow systems which are pressurized that allows for either continuous discharge or up to 8 segmented drops.
The system is approved for retardant, gel, foam and water drops or the combination of any two of these agents and ground servicing for another sortie takes approximately 30-35 minutes.
The Jumbo SuperTanker operates without any speed, altitude or operational restriction and provides a level of safety to ground personnel, property and natural resources unmatched by any other tanker, civilian or military.
The exceptional and superior performance of the SuperTanker is such that it departs 200,000+ pounds below maximum allowable gross weight and can land immediately without dumping fuel or retardant if the operation is cancelled.
Its dash speed of nearly 600 mph allows it to be almost anywhere in the U.S. in approximately 2.5 hours, avoiding potential traffic and ramp congestion at smaller retardant bases. Operating from its base in Colorado springs, the SuperTanker can reach virtually any point in North America in approximately 4.5 hours.
With true Global reach, the Jumbo SuperTanker can be almost anywhere in the world in under 20 hours, including fuel stops, if necessary.
Configured with 14 first class seats and 2 bunks for the support staff and additional flight crew, the Jumbo SuperTanker arrives ready to begin previously coordinated flight operations with the host agency.
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