Sat, May 25, 2024
New 737-700 to Become Most Modern, Advanced Narrowbody Firefighter Yet
Firefighting specialist Coulson Aviation has shown off the newest addition to their fleet, a former Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700.
The new aircraft is a first for the team, since prior Fireliners were built on a 737-300 platform until now. Coulson notes that so far, every one of its aircraft come courtesy of Southwest Airlines, a carrier that's always been a sort of poster boy for the narrowbody Boeings. The Next Gen Fireliner will improve on the older mods' payload and capability, thanks to those trickle-down updates from the -700. It'll sport a 5,000 gallon payload, lower fuel burn, improved endurance, and higher speeds across the board.
Coulson's claim to fame has always been the larger jets, to the point they're just about the top of the firefighting heap overall. With a jet, Coulson can head further and faster while en-route, and once on target dump way more than a smaller aircraft could hold in multiple trips. That makes the Fireliner the equivalent of the 'big guns', the heavy bombers that can put down a lot of 'ordnance' where it counts.
Coulson's combined fleet rounds the smaller bases too, with UH-60s Blackhawks, CH-47 Chinooks, C-130 Hercules', and a variety of smaller helicopters on call. That 'combined arms' strategy is key to Coulson's success in headhunting firefighting contracts around the world - defense in depth and breadth helps clients breathe easier as they head into a hot, dry, and windy summer.
“Our new 737-700 Next Gen FIRELINER program will build on our existing 737-300 platform which has been extremely successful for us,” said Britt Coulson, President and COO of Coulson Aviation. “The FIRELINER platform has been the go-to Large Air Tanker for foreign governments to purchase due to its unique multi-role capability allowing it to transport passengers when not deployed on active firefighting missions as well as supports a streamlined process in finding both flight and maintenance crew and aircraft parts.”
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