Coulson Aviation has secured a contract from the US Air Force (USAF) to deliver retardant aerial delivery systems (RADS) for HC-130 H model aircraft.
Under the contract, Coulson will design, manufacture, and install up to seven 3500-gallon aerial RADS for C-130 Hercules fleet.
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Coulson Aviation’s RADS-XXL is coupled with a next generation controller, which is said to be the premier C-130 firefighting system in the world.
Weighing 2,300lbs, the RADS-XXL tank can be easily installed or removed in less than 30 minutes, the company said.
The system has a flow rate of 1,600 gallons per second and an E-dump rate of 1,600USG per second.
Coulson Aviation vice-president Britt Coulson said: "We are the first system in the industry to employ technology to not only aid and reduce the workload of the pilots, but to produce a superior drop pattern on the ground.
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By GlobalData"We look forward to supporting the USAF, USFS, and other countries around the world with their C-130’s."
Coulson Aviation operates both type one helicopters and large fixed wing air tankers. It is one of the only companies to hold multi-country aerial firefighting contracts, including Canada, the US, and Australia.
In November last year, Coulson Group of Canada has collaborated with Airbus Defence and Space on new water bomber version of the Airbus C295W transport aircraft.
Coulson agreed to develop and manufacture a retardant dropping system (RDS) with two internal tanks of 3,500l each with an ability to transport water or retardant and to be refilled in under seven minutes.
Image: Coulson Aviation C-130 H model equipped with RADS tanking system. Photo: courtesy of PRNewsFoto / The Coulson Group of Companies.
