Ottawa sells 10 retired military planes to convert for aerial firefighting

The federal government announced Friday it has “conditionally” sold 10 retired military planes to a B.C. aviation company that will convert the aircraft to fight wildfires across the country.

The announcement comes amid growing calls for Canada to update and expand its fleet of firefighting aircraft as it contends with another devastating wildfire season.

Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state for defence procurement, said it will take Coulson Aviation in Port Alberni about 20,000 hours of labour to convert each CC-130H Hercules plane for aerial firefighting purposes.

That timeline means the first planes should be ready to re-enter service within 12 months, he told reporters in Abbotsford, B.C.

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“These Hercs will begin a second life in that role, in a new role that’s increasingly important to Canada and around the world,” he said.

“That is something to clap about.”

The CC-130H Hercules has traditionally been used for military transports, evacuations from natural emergencies, including wildfires, as well as search and rescue operations.

They have been steadily replaced by Lockheed Martin’s more modern CC-130J-class Hercules planes.

The 10 CC-130H aircraft are part of a fleet of 12 that were retired by the Royal Canadian Air Force in January.

The remaining two will be displayed at bases and museums across Canada.

The sale remains conditional, pending the completion of contractual arrangements and applicable Transport Canada regulatory approvals.

The government did not release how much money the aircraft were sold for, with Fuhr saying it would be “inappropriate” to detail a commercial transaction.

In June, the Senate committee on agriculture and forestry released a report calling on the government to fund a new national fleet of modern firefighting aircraft, among 15 recommendations to improve wildfire response.

Ottawa announced in May it would lease 10 aircraft — four air tankers, one spotter plane and five heavy lift helicopters — for 150 days starting in June, but senators contended that wouldn’t be sufficient.

—With files from Global’s Amy Judd and The Canadian Press