Aviation News – Coulson Aviation Canada has acquired 10 former Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-130H Hercules aircraft from the Government of Canada to convert them into high-capacity aerial firefighting airtankers. Announced on August 7, 2026, the historic transaction doubles the company’s global fleet of C-130H aircraft from 10 to 20, significantly boosting response capabilities as wildfire seasons grow increasingly severe worldwide.
The acquisition marks a major transfer of retired military assets to the civil aerospace sector, following the official retirement of the CC-130H fleet by the Canadian government. Under the agreement, Coulson Aviation Canada will manage the entire conversion initiative directly from its facilities in British Columbia, overseeing engineering, certification, modification, maintenance, and eventual flight operations.
Prior to their retirement, the heavy-lift turboprop aircraft served the Royal Canadian Air Force for decades across tactical airlift, search and rescue, Arctic operations, and international humanitarian deployments. By repurposing these proven military platforms instead of retiring them permanently, the divestment deal strengthens Canada’s national emergency response infrastructure while creating hundreds of highly skilled aerospace jobs in British Columbia.
During the modification process, technicians will equip each Hercules airframe with specialized retardant delivery systems, such as the proprietary RADS-XXL tanking system, allowing each aircraft to drop over 15,000 liters (4,000 U.S. gallons) of water or fire retardant per mission. Operating from short or unpaved airfields, these modified large airtankers deliver rapid initial attack drops to suppress intense forest fires before ground crews arrive.
Welcoming the fleet expansion, Wayne Coulson, Chief Executive Officer of Coulson Aviation Canada, emphasized the ongoing legacy of the military fleet, stating, “These aircraft served Canada for decades and we would like to recognize the men and women of the RCAF that operated these aircraft with exceptional professionalism throughout their service.”
As climate change accelerates the frequency and intensity of global wildfire disasters, converting available military transports offers a fast, scalable solution to expand international aerial firefighting fleets. Governments and regional fire agencies must now collaborate with private aerospace partners to integrate these large waterbombers into national emergency response networks.
Coulson Aviation Canada has doubled its heavy airtanker capacity by acquiring 10 retired CC-130H Hercules aircraft for conversion into specialized waterbombers. This major private-public asset transfer repurposes reliable military transport planes to protect communities and ecosystems from devastating wildfire outbreaks. Moving forward, the expanded fleet will strengthen emergency response networks across Canada and international combat zones for years to come.
