Calgary, Alberta and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, August 3, 2021 — Viking Air Limited (“Viking”) and PAL Aerospace Canada are proud to announce the establishment of a contract to support the Twin Otter Fire Attack System. The agreement’s scope includes the design, manufacturing, installation, and certification of the Aerial Firefighting System for the Twin Otter DHC-6 300 and 400 aircraft. It is anticipated that the Aerial Firefighting System will be certified in 2022 and an international customer will receive the first converted aircraft.
This undertaking is a progressive effort between Viking and PAL Aerospace to build additional capabilities for the already versatile DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300 and 400 aircraft. The Aerial Firefighting System will allow the Twin Otter to transition effortlessly between global firefighting missions and its more traditional mission profiles, including transporting passengers and cargo.
The airtanker-configured Twin Otter aircraft will help mitigate and fight wildfires with the ability to drop up to 700 US gallons of water or retardant in challenging environments.
Phillip Garbutt, PAL Aerospace Senior Vice President of Global Support said, “PAL Aerospace is proud to partner with Viking on this exciting project that supports innovation, economic growth, and supply chains in Canada. As an established DHC-6 Twin Otter Operator, we know firsthand the capability and versatility of the aircraft and consider it a privilege to bring our comprehensive design, engineering and modification capabilities to bear in developing this new capability.”
“We are happy to work with PAL Aerospace to provide our operators the ability to utilize our DHC-6 Twin Otter for specialized aerial firefighting missions,” said Benjamin Carson, Director of Customer Support Operations, Viking. “As the OEM, we work to continuously enhance the aircraft we support, providing our customers with ongoing fleet sustainment activities and upgrades.”
About PAL Aerospace
A member of the Exchange Income Corporation family of companies, PAL Aerospace is a Canadian-owned and operated international aerospace and defense company. With a focus on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, in-service support solutions and aircraft engineering and modification, PAL Aerospace is recognized by governments and militaries for on time/on budget delivery and high reliability rates. PAL’s record of accomplishment now extends to operations in Canada, the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. PAL Aerospace offers a single point of accountability for its programs and takes pride in being the trusted choice for clients worldwide.
About Viking Air Limited
Celebrating over 50 years in the Canadian Aerospace industry, Viking is the manufacturer of the world-renowned Twin Otter Series 400 and Guardian 400 Twin-engine turboprop aircraft. Viking is the Type Certificate holder for all out-of-production De Havilland Canada aircraft (DHC-1 through the DHC-7) and all Canadair amphibious aircraft, including CL-215, CL-215T and CL-415 aerial firefighter aircraft, and the Shorts Skyvan, 360, 330 and Sherpa family of aircraft.
As the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for these iconic Canadian aircraft designs, Viking fully supports a diverse global operator base with exclusive factory spare parts manufacturing, in-service engineering & technical support, technical publications, warranty administration, and field service support.
