Aerial fire-fighter takes to the skies

Evergreen International has demonstrated the fire-fighting capabilities of its 747 Supertanker, which took three years and more than $40m (£22.2m) to develop.

The company, based in McMinnville, Oregon, visited 11 states during a month-long tour to demonstrate the world's largest fire-fighting aircraft.

'The Supertanker tour comes when fire-fighting capabilities are increasingly important for the US Forest Service and the states that face escalating risks from forest fires,' said Sam White, Evergreen's vice-president.

'We believe the Supertanker, a modified 747-200 with more than 20,000 gallons of tank space, offers exceptional drop capabilities and safety standards. It is a multi-mission aircraft that is capable of supporting fire-fighting, weather modification, oil-spill response, and biochemical decontamination emergency response missions worldwide.'

The multi-role 747 Supertanker has more than seven times the drop capability of a P3 fire-fighter, and its patent-pending pressurised system can disperse retardant at high pressure, or drop it at the speed of falling rain.