De Havilland Aircraft of Canada says it needs orders for 50 additional water bombers to expand production and speed up wildfire response.
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De Havilland Aircraft of Canada is calling for a national fleet of its Canadair water bombers, saying it needs more government orders to expand production while wildfire demand grows.
The company’s push follows a July 13 firefighting operation in north-central France, where two Canadair water bombers—known as “super scoopers”—touched down on the Seine River and skimmed along the surface to refill their tanks while battling a wildfire south of Paris.
De Havilland says the turboprops are amphibious firefighting aircraft built for the role, and that one scoop can pull more than 6,000 litres from the waterway. The company links the France operation to a wider trend of wildfires reaching beyond traditional areas, increasing the need for water bombers.
Production of the Canadair DHC-515 (formerly called the CL-515) was revived by De Havilland in 2024 after European customers placed orders, following a production halt that began in 2015. De Havilland says the gap eliminated a supply chain that once drew on about 60,000 parts and pushed the projected delivery timeline for the first aircraft to early 2028.
Neil Sweeney, De Havilland’s vice-president of corporate affairs, said an order for 50 new water bombers from the federal government or provincial governments would provide the financial runway to launch a second production line at De Havilland’s new assembly plant east of Calgary.
Sweeney argued that faster deployment depends on having the “infrastructure” for water bombers as part of an aerial strategy that also includes smaller scoopers, evacuation helicopters and air tankers with fire retardants.
He pointed to wildfire impacts in Canada, including a 2024 event in Jasper, Alta., where fires took out about 400 structures, as well as later examples of large-scale destruction in northern Ontario and blazes in British Columbia near Vernon and Summerland in August that destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced tens of thousands to leave.
Sweeney also warned that if deliveries take too long, buyers may seek alternatives, describing the risk as “scarcity” creating its own competition. He added that competitors are also developing water bombers and that De Havilland’s position may erode if aircraft are not delivered quickly enough.
De Havilland says the company is currently producing the first two Canadairs, with the initial aircraft bound for Greece. It says customers also include Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and Croatia, and that the order book includes 38 planes sold out through 2034, including six for Ontario, five for Alberta and three for Manitoba, with a $400 million price tag for those aircraft.
The company says Canada also created its first-ever reserve of firefighting aircraft in May, leasing 10 planes for 150 days with a $317-million allocation from the 2025 budget.
Still, De Havilland says money and orders alone may not be enough without coordination. John Gradek of McGill University said there is “no national co-ordination” for the fleet of water bombers and described a provincial approach as “very parochial,” with governments managing budgets, aircraft and training separately.
Gradek and others are contrasted with Australia’s more centralized model, where the National Aerial Firefighting Centre leases or contracts planes funded by states and territories.
Sweeney said De Havilland is currently the only large scooping aircraft in production, while pointing to other companies developing alternatives, including Italy’s 19-01 Holding, which aims to roll out a first prototype by 2028.
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