Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. announced September 20th, 2023, that it successfully bid via a public tender process to purchase four Canadair CL-215T Amphibious Aircraft from the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. The addition of the Spanish aircraft to Bridger’s existing Scooper fleet increases Bridger’s Scooper fleet to 10 Scoopers, making Bridger the largest private owner of CL-215T/415 Super Scoopers in the world. Additionally, with the anticipated closing of the acquisition of Bighorn Airways, Inc. in 2023, Bridger’s total wildfire fighting fleet will consist of 32 planes.
“Bridger’s mission is to save lives and fight fires wherever they occur, and growing our water bombing fleet by 66% gives us the ability to protect more communities globally against the growing threat of wildfires,” commented Tim Sheehy, Bridger’s Chief Executive Officer. “We hope to have the first two Scooper aircraft available for the 2024 fire season, with the additional Scooper aircraft available as soon as upgrades are made to those airframes, and we look forward to supporting efforts to provide wildfire protection to European communities.”
Per the terms of the tender, Bridger will purchase the four Scoopers from the Spanish government for €40 million, and the closing of the acquisition will occur in accordance with the Spanish public tender process.
“With the scarcity of aerial firefighting assets at an all-time high, this purchase represents a strategic and transformative step for Bridger and the global firefighting market as a whole. We have seen rising demand for our Scoopers internationally in recent years, and we look forward to deploying these assets globally,” added Sheehy.
The CL-215T/415 Super Scooper is the safest, most cost-effective and only purpose-built aerial firefighting asset in the world. The amphibious aircraft skims the surface of a body of water to scoop water into onboard tanks to drop on a fire. The purposeful design of the Super Scooper allows for an aggressive low-altitude flight profile, which enables pilots to deliver their drops with more precision, hitting the fire harder and extinguishing it faster. Super Scoopers can scoop up to 1,412 gallons of water in approximately 10 seconds and, with 90% of wildfires within 20 miles of a major water source, Super Scoopers provide an extremely effective tool to economically and expeditiously deliver water to a fire without having to return to an airport to refill the water tanks.
About Bridger Aerospace
Based in Belgrade, Montana, Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest aerial firefighting companies. Bridger Aerospace is committed to utilizing its team, aircraft and technology to save lives, property and habitats threatened by wildfires. Bridger provides aerial firefighting and wildfire management services to federal and state government agencies, including the United States Forest Service, across the nation. More information about Bridger Aerospace is available at https://www.bridgeraerospace.com.
