Three new-build DHC-515 waterbombers for Manitoba
April 28, 2025
The augmented capabilities of the new aircraft will enhance domestic firefighting endeavours whilst also allowing Manitoba to “be a good neighbour,” explained Premier Wab Kinew, who said he was “very proud to see Canadians join the response” to the wildfires devastating LA earlier this year. Concluding that these assets are “absolutely critical” to safety and security, “no matter what’s going on with the politicians of our two countries, we’re still going to be good neighbours,” he said.
The executive director of Manitoba’s conservation and wildfire department Earl Simmons confirmed that the DHC-515s are the “only purpose built waterbombers in the world by a Canadian company in Calgary – De Havilland Aircraft of Canada” and are “ideally suited to be used in the province’s 100,000 lakes”. Additionally, the domestically-produced aircraft will represent not just an investment in local and national firefighting capabilities but “an investment in [Canada’s] economy”.
While Manitoba’s ageing CL-215s will “continue to keep Manitobans safe” until their replacements are delivered, “these aircraft are near the end of their life, with engines developed in world war two,” added Simmons. Babcock – which maintains the aircraft – added that alongside issues of ageing airframes and instances of parts obsolescence, the predecessors’ Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial piston engines also require an elevated ratio of maintenance to operational hours. A total 215 units were built between 1969 and 1990.
Benefits offered by the DHC-515 include a new avionics package in the cockpit, a new computerised water drop system, more reliable and powerful turbine engines (requiring comparatively less maintenance), increased fuel capacity and longer range, increased water capacity per drop, and less downtime for maintenance in general. “A single waterbomber can release over 6,000 litres in one pass, playing a vital role in defending the environment during wildfire season,” confirmed its manufacturer.
With the CL-215s having been in operation for nearly 40 years, their replacements are expected to be in service for a future three to four decades. Since officially being launched in March 2022, a number of countries have signed for the type including Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
