When it comes to fighting wildfires, Super Scoopers are the aerial superheroes.
A Stockton firm will now be scooping up some of the jobs that will go into making the latest generation of that line of famed water-dropping aircraft.
Formally known as the De Havilland Canadair 515, or DHC-515, the new amphibious plane is designed to ski across lakes, reservoirs or the ocean in 12 seconds to fill its tanks. Then it dumps more than 1,500 gallons at a time to douse wildfires burning miles away.
Water-dropping super scoopers have played an instrumental role in fighting California’s wildfires, especially those around the Los Angeles area. They are prized for their ability to put more water on fires faster than other types of aircraft.
Stockton-based Applied Aerospace recently announced it has secured a contract to make critical control surfaces — ailerons, flaps and elevators — for the Canadian plane at its 25-acre main campus.
The announcement comes as summer marks the start of another dangerous wildfire season.
“With wildfire seasons becoming longer and more intense each year, updated airborne firefighting platforms like the DHC-515 are essential,” Applied Aerospace CEO Kevin Bidlack said in a statement. “At Applied Aerospace we are proud to contribute to such an important mission.”
Bidlack said the company is “thrilled” to have been selected for the project. The new Super Scooper will have an improved design, better corrosion protection and avionics.
Applied Aerospace makes a wide variety of aircraft components. Besides control surfaces, it says it has supplied fuselages, wings, radomes and other systems for a variety of commercial and military aircraft over the past 70 years. In March, it announced it was expanding its space-related business through the acquisition of a Huntsville, Alabama, firm.
The reputation the company has earned over the decades is a key reason that De Havilland Canada said it picked Applied Aerospace as a supplier for the DHC-515.
“Their deep manufacturing expertise and long-standing commitment to quality make them an ideal collaborator for this next-generation firefighting aircraft,” Janet Wardle, a senior vice president for De Havilland Canada, said in a statement.
“The DHC-515 is a critical platform in global efforts to combat increasingly severe wildfire season, and we are confident that Applied Aerospace’s contributions will help us deliver a highly capable, reliable, and mission-ready aircraft,” she added.