ABBOTSFORD, CANADA (May 27, 2025) – Conair Group Inc. (Conair) has deployed two Daher TBM 960 Air Attack aircraft for the wildfire season, after receiving both STC and airworthiness certification from Transport Canada on the new aircraft type. The aircraft, referred to as ‘birddogs’ or ‘lead planes’ in the industry, are converted, owned and operated by Conair, and are under contract with British Columbia Wildfire Service (BCWS). The aircraft will be dispatched to fly continuously over wildfires, monitoring fire activity, assessing risk, and strategizing airtanker drops. BCWS is the first government wildfire agency in the world to adopt this new aircraft type, investing in the future by modernizing their fleet of birddogs, to ensure continued operations for decades to come.
“We received our first TBM from Daher in November 2024 and our second in January 2025. Conair was able to purchase, engineer, convert, certify and deploy this new aircraft type within 6 months, including training our pilot crews. That turnaround time is a statement to our team’s expertise and experience producing, delivering and operating aerial firefighting aircraft,” shares Michael Benson, Conair Director of Business Development. Conair has certified 16 different aircraft types for aerial firefighting in the past 56 years, converting more than 200 individual aircraft.
The modern aircraft was selected for its superior performance, modern design standards, advanced safety features, improved reliability, and strong Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) support by Daher. It has been retrofitted by Conair with specialized avionics and equipment specific to wildfire operations before deploying to provide tactical and strategic direction to aerial firefighting aircraft over wildfires.
“The STC and airworthiness certification in the birddog role open an important new multi-mission application for the TBM 960, and we congratulate Conair on its achievement in an innovative approach to equipping the aircraft,” said Nicolas Chabbert, the CEO of Daher Aircraft. “Our teams supported the rapid-paced conversion and certification process, and Conair can count on the full resources of Daher as these airplanes perform their vital wildfire air attack duties.”
In each aircraft is a government agency Air Attack Officer and Conair pilot. The Air Attack Officer communicates with all pilots, rotary and fixed-wing, as well as all ground crews, ensuring safe and effective aerial firefighting operations. The fire experts in this command-and-control aircraft work to slow down and contain extreme wildfires, ensuring aircraft drops are strategically placed for the best results given the terrain, fuel type, wind, weather and aerial response available.
“These new aircraft are fast, keeping pace with large airtankers or multi engine water scoopers, plus can fly low and slow, showing aircraft where to place drops using an onboard smoke generation system. We also outfit the aircraft with additional radios, enhanced sensor and vision systems, plus a siren, to warn ground crews of an impending drop. In the future, we could install additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment to convert the aircraft into a multi role, mapping wildfires or providing search & rescue capability” continues Benson.
“We are replacing our TC-690 fleet of birddog aircraft with this new model” shares Benson. “Our TC-690 fleet is 50+ years old and although a great aircraft for the birddog role, parts are becoming hard to find, and maintenance overhaul costs and time are increasing. We are proactively modernizing the fleet with this new TBM 960 to ensure continued aerial firefighting operations. Currently Conair operates birddogs in British Columbia, the Yukon and Alberta, but we could see this market expand, introducing TBM Air Attack capabilities to new customer agencies around the world.”
About Conair Group Inc.
Headquartered in Canada, Conair is a world leader in emergency response aircraft production and operations, delivering a range of aerial firefighting and multi-role aircraft and services globally. Founded in Canada over 56 years ago, Conair manufactures special mission aircraft converted from commercial planes, with more than 200 aircraft modified to date. Conair also maintains, crews and operates a fleet of 70 aerial firefighting aircraft, the largest, privately owned, fixed-wing fleet in the world. Conair’s operations are global, supporting missions in North America, Europe, Australia and beyond. Conair can provide aircraft for purchase, lease or under contract and offers specialized services including aeronautical engineering design, flight operations and aircraft maintenance. Learn more at www.conair.ca
