Australian aerial firefighting may one day receive a boost with a US aviation company working on turning a Boeing 767 into a Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT).
California-based Coulson Aviation USA says the new B767 VLAT will replace older aircraft types that have been phased out and boost capacity and capability.
Coulson operated a DC-10 and currently flies the older C-130 Hercules and Boeing 737 firefighting aircraft.
But the recent grounding of MD11 and DC10 fleets in the US significantly reduced its high-capacity, large-scale retardant delivery capability, the company says.
The grounding was prompted by the late 2025 crash of a UPS MD-11 aircraft in Kentucky which killed 15 people onboard, prompting the two aircraft types to be retired.
FIREFIGHTING BOOST
Coulson says its B767 VLAT will offer greater capacity in terms of a larger payload, lower fuel burn and long-term sustainability.
“The firefighting community is seeing rapid changes in available airframe types and agencies need solutions that are safe, efficient, and supportable for decades,” says Britt Coulson, President and CEO of Coulson Aviation USA.
“The 767 is a proven widebody platform with global support, parts availability, modern systems, and compelling operating economics.”
Coulson says the B767 VLAT will perform beyond what their older aerial tankers can deliver.
The company says the new aircraft will incorporate their updated retardant delivery system, still carry more than 160 passengers and carry a tank capacity greater than any of their current fleet of aircraft.
They say engineering, structural analysis and systems integration planning are already under way.
COULSON DOWN UNDER
The B767 VLAT will boost Coulson’s fleet of Large Air Tankers (LATs), including the C-130H Hercules and Boeing 737 Fireliner with 4000-gallon capacity.
The company most recently took delivery of four former New Zealand air force C-130H Hercules, flying them across the Pacific by island-hopping, and converted them into aerial tankers; these aircraft were built during the Vietnam War and retired from service.
A NSW Rural Fire Service Boeing 737 recently returned from Coulson’s base in California after helping crew fight bushfires.
Coulson has a base in Sydney and has lent its aircraft to fight bushfires; in January 2020, one of their Hercules crashed near Cooma and killed all three American crew onboard; click here for more on that story.
