Global SuperTanker Services, LLC´s high capacity, rapid response aerial firefighting technology received interim approval from the US Interagency Airtanker Board (IAB) on January 6, the company said.
The interim approval will allow the tanker to be considered for critical federal, state, and international firefighting contracts ahead of the 2017 forest fire season.
IAB approval is necessary to win all federal firefighting contracts, as well as most state and some international contracts. Interim approval will allow Global SuperTanker to apply for these contracts while the IAB considers final certification.
Global SuperTanker´s B747-400, the Spirit of John Muir, incorporates a patented system capable of delivering single or multiple drops aggregating nearly 20,000 gallons of water, fire retardant, or suppressant. These fluids can be released at variable rates from the plane´s pressurized tanks, producing a tailored response to the firefighting need.
The Spirit of John Muir received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval in September 2016. It set off on its first mission in November 2016, when a series of massive blazes in Israel prompted thousands of evacuations and destroyed hundreds of homes. Global SuperTanker responded immediately to an urgent call for help, flying nonstop on short notice from its home base in Colorado Springs, CO to Tel Aviv, providing crucial firefighting support.
The Spirit of John Muir flies at nearly 600 miles per hour, enabling the converted B747-400 to reach any mission in the western US in fewer than three hours, and any mission in the world in fewer than 20 hours.
Global SuperTanker Services, LLC was formed in 2015, joining a strong portfolio of companies managed by Alterna Capital Partners, LLC as part of its aerospace sector.
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