Aerial firefighting

"Airtanker" redirects here. For aerial fuel tankers, see Aerial refueling. For the British air-to-air refuelling project, see AirTanker Services.
A DC-10 Tanker operated by a private contractor for the U.S. Forest Service demonstrates a water drop during "Thunder Over The Empire Air Fest" at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. (2012)
A Neptune Aviation Lockheed P2V drops fire retardant at Pine Mountain, Oregon. (2014)

Aerial firefighting, also known as waterbombing, is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing aircraft, or rappelling from helicopters. Chemicals used to fight fires may include water, water enhancers such as foams and gels, and specially formulated fire retardants such as Phos-Chek.[1]

  1. ^ "USDA Forest Service Wildland Fire Chemicals". Retrieved 2008-11-13.