30 December 2020 © David Eyre and Brenden Scott

A list and photos of the fire fighting aircraft in Western Australia for the summer fire season (Oct 2020 – April 2021).

Logistics support by RAAF

The Royal Australian Air Force has contributed logistics support, resupplying Busselton Airport-based Large Air Tanker fire fighting crews with fire retardant chemicals.

A41-213 Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (MSN 50272/F271/AUS8) of 36 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, at Busselton Airport, Western Australia - 9 January 2021. Delivered 50 Tonnes of fire retardant chemicals to Busselton Airport from RAAF Base Richmond, NSW. Arrived and departed Busselton on 9 January 2021. Seen here on take-off Photo © Joel Baverstock.

A41-208 Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (MSN 50184/F-183) of 36 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, at Busselton Airport - 10 February 2021. Arrived the previous night from RAAF Richmond with fire retardant chemicals, to replenish depleted stocks after local firefighting aircraft had been fighting a large fire in the Wooroloo/Gidgegannup area of the Perth hills. Seen here at 12:11pm, preparing to depart back to its base at RAAF Base Amberley. Photo © Jarrod Swanwick.

BIRDDOG

Fixed-wing aircraft used primarily for air attack supervision. Larger twin-engined BIRDDOGs are used to lead the Large Air Tanker and guide it on where to release its load of fire retardant.

VH-CLT/BIRDDOG 125 Rockwell Turbo Commander 690A flew from Hay (NSW) – Forrest – Busselton on 17 December 2020. It departed Busselton direct to Stawell (Victoria) on 15 January 2021. It was replaced by VH-RMB/BIRDDOG 123 (see below).

VH-RMB/BIRDDOG 123 Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1 flew from Stawell (Victoria) via Ceduna (South Australia) and Esperance to Busselton on 13 January 2021. It departed Busselton via Ceduna (SA) to Hay (NSW) on 19 February 2021. It was replaced by VH-HPY/BIRDDOG 275 (see below).

N561CG/FIRESCAN 201 (also used BIRDDOG 201) Cessna 560 Citation Encore of Coulson Aviation flew from Richmond via Ceduna to Busselton on
2 February 2021.

VH-HPY / BIRDDOG 275 Gulfstream 695A Jetprop Commander 1000 of Agair Logistics Pty Ltd, with NSW Rural Fire Service titles, flew from RAAF Base Richmond (NSW) via Ceduna (SA) to Busselton on 17 February 2021.

VH-RMB/BIRDDOG 123 Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1 (MSN 525-0514) of Agair Logistics Pty Ltd, Stawell, Victoria, at Busselton Airport - 6 February 2021. Flew from Stawell (Victoria) via Ceduna (South Australia) and Esperance to Busselton on 13 January 2021. Under contract to the Western Australian Government, under operational control of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), to act as a BIRDDOG aircraft, which guides the large air tankers on where to drop their loads of fire retardant on bush fires. Built in 2003, ex PH-FIS, N514RV. Photo © Jarrod Swanwick.

VH-CLT / BIRDDOG 125 Rockwell Turbo Commander 690A (MSN 11152) owned by Tasmanian Seafoods Pty Ltd, at Busselton Airport - 21 December 2020. Under contract to the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), to lead the Large Air Tanker and guide it on where to release its load of fire retardant. VH-CLT flew from Hay (NSW) - Forrest - Busselton on 17 December 2020. Built in 1974, ex VH-NMT, VH-NYA, N42MM, N9101F, SE-GSB, HB-GFO, (N81822). Photo © Jarrod Swanwick.

BOMBER

Coulson Aviation has been contracted in 2020/21 by the Federal Government to provide a Large Air Tanker (LAT) in Western Australia, based at Busselton Margaret River Airport, 220 kilometres south of Perth. The aircraft may be deployed elsewhere in Australia if required.

N132CG / BOMBER 132 Lockheed C-130H Hercules arrived 16 December 2020 after flying from San Bernadino (California) – Hilo (Hawaii) – Kona (Hawaii) – Vava’u (Tonga) – Norfolk Island (Australia) – Richmond (NSW) – Busselton. It carries up to 15,000 litres of fire retardent or water.

Due to large bushfires near Red Gully, WA, another LAT was brought over temporarily. N130FF Lockheed EC-130Q Hercules arrived at Busselton on 5 January 2021 direct from Richmond, NSW. It assisted in fighting fires at Red Gully/Seaview on 6, 7 and 8 January 2021, then departed back to Richmond on 12 January 2021.

An additional 50 Tonnes of fire fighting retardent was flown in to Busselton from Richmond on 9 January 2021, aboard RAAF Boeing C-17A A41-213.

On 1 February 2021, a large bush fire was accidentally ignited by sparks from an angle grinder in Wooroloo, in the hills east of Perth. It spread westwards to the Gidgegannup and Brigadoon area over following days, burning almost 11,000 hectares of land, destroying 86 homes, and many more sheds, vehicles and other structures.

On the afternoon of 2 February 2021, N138CG/BOMBER 210 Boeing 737-3H4 Fireliner of Coulson Aviation arrived at Busselton from Richmond, NSW, and made its first drop just at sunset, with more drops the following day at Gidgegannup. It returned to Richmond on 7 February 2020.

On the night of 3 February 2021, N137CG/BOMBER 137 Boeing 737-3H4 Fireliner of Coulson Aviation arrived at Busselton from Richmond, NSW. After assisting with fighting fires at Gidgegannup, it returned to Richmond on 6 February 2020.

Dunn Aviation Australia provides fixed-wing water bombing aircraft for the WA Government – the Air Tractor AT-802 and AT-602 for water and fire retardant dropping. Its aircraft are also contracted out to other states to perform firebombing and agricultural duties. Based at Jandakot, Bunbury, Manjimup, Albany. BOMBERs are managed by Department of Parks and Wildlife.

N130FF/BOMBER 131/390 Lockheed EC-130Q Hercules (MSN 382-4901) of Coulson Aviation at Busselton Airport, Western Australia – 12 January 2021. Due to large bushfires in Western Australia, another Large Air Tanker was brought over temporarily. N130FF arrived at Busselton on 5 January 2021, direct from Richmond, NSW. It assisted in fighting fires at Red Gully/Seaview on 6, 7 and 8 January 2021, then departed back to Richmond on 12 January 2021, as seen here. Built in 1981, ex 161495 US Navy, N427NA NASA. Photo © Joel Baverstock.

N132CG/BOMBER 132 Lockheed C-130H Hercules (MSN 382-4338) of Coulson Aviation, at Busselton Airport - 18 February 2021. Based at Busselton during the 2020/21 fire season, under contract to the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Carries 15,000 Litres of fire retardant foam or water and is seen here at 4:17pm, performing one of its weekly test drops. Built in 1969, previously serial number 956 of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Photo © Jarrod Swanwick.

FIREBIRD

The Air Attack FIREBIRDS coordinate aerial firefighting operations, and can usually be seen circling high above firefighting aircraft. FIREBIRD 623/VH-YUQ is managed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Other FIREBIRDS are managed by Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

VH-JVC Aerospatiale AS350-FX2 (Heli-Lynx conversion) (MSN 1516) of Heliwest, at Jandakot Airport - Mon 9 March 2015. Converted from an AS350BA, with the Turbomeca Arriel engine replaced by a Textron Lycoming LTS-101-700D-2 engine. Photo © David Eyre

VH-YUQ / FIREBIRD 623 Eurocopter AS355F-1 Twin Squirrel (MSN 5057) owned by McDermott Aviation, contracted to WA Government, at Warradale Park, Landsdale - Wed 23 November 2016. Assisting firefighters in fighting a suspiciously-lit bushfire in Lexia, at the Gnangara pine plantation, that burnt through 100 hectares. The FIREBIRD aerial command and control helicopters coordinate firefighting operations. Built in 1981, ex N281AP, N117LB. Photo © David Eyre

FIRESCAN

Beech 200 King Air aircraft fitted with infra red line scanning equipment are used to scan fire areas and provide live intelligence, including fire mapping, to ground incident control crews. Scanning is conducted high above the fire area, by flying fixed patterns well above air attack traffic. The line scanner is able to see through smoke and show terrain, streams and roads, to pinpoint fire edges, burnt areas and spot fires. VH-LAB performed this role last year and returned again for the 2020/21 fire season, being delivered Nowra – Ceduna – Jandakot on 29 Oct 2020.

N561CG/FIRESCAN 201 (also used callsign BIRDDOG 201) Cessna 560 Citation Encore of Coulson Aviation flew from Richmond via Ceduna to Busselton on 2 February 2021. After assisting with fighting fires at Gidgegannup, it returned to Richmond via Ceduna on 7 February 2020.

VH-LAB/FIRESCAN 125 Beech B200T Super King Air (MSN BT-23, ex N312D) owned by Air Affairs Aviation, at Jandakot Airport - December 2020. This aircraft was temporarily based at Jandakot for the 2020/21 bush fire season (it was also here for the 2019/20 fire season), under contract to the Western Australian Government, under the management of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. It is fitted with infra red line scanning equipment, used to scan bush fire areas and provide live intelligence, including fire mapping, to ground incident control crews. Scanning is conducted high above the fire area, by flying fixed patterns well above air attack traffic. The line scanner is able to see through smoke and show terrain, streams and roads, to pinpoint fire edges, burnt areas and spot fires. It is normally based at Nowra, NSW and arrived at Jandakot on 29 October 2020. Photo © Brenden Scott.

N561CG/FIRESCAN 201 (also used callsign BIRDDOG 201) Cessna 560 Citation Encore (MSN 560-0232) of Coulson Aviation, at Busselton Airport - 6 February 2021. Under contract to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, to act as a BIRDDOG aircraft, which guides the large air tankers on where to drop their loads of fire retardant on bush fires. Flew from Richmond via Ceduna to Busselton on 2 February 2021 to assist with fighting fires in the Perth hills near Gidgegannup. The aircraft returned to Richmond via Ceduna on 7 February 2021. Built in 2003, ex C-GJYL, N502E. Photo © Jarrod Swanwick.

HELITACK

Medium (Bell 214) and heavy (Skycrane) fire fighting helicopters are operated for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Six Bell 214 helicopters are contracted from McDermott Aviation, based at Jandakot (four) and Busselton (two).

The Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane is leased from Erickson Aircrane and based at Serpentine Airfield, south of Perth – it arrived by sea to Fremantle and was flown Fremantle to Serpentine on 20 Nov 2020.

SPOTTER

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) uses American Champion 8GCBC Scouts as fire spotter aircraft for forest patrols in the south-west of WA, flying across areas set according to fire weather conditions. They fly more during the hotter months (about 3,500 hours) due to the increased fire risk. They also supervise waterbombing operations in the south-west, relaying information on fire behaviour to fire controllers. Aircraft rotate around bases at Jandakot, Bunbury, Dwellingup and Manjimup. SPOTTERS are managed by DBCA, which holds an Air Operators Certificate (AOC).

VH-KTG / SPOTTER642 American Champion 8GCBC Scout (MSN 546-2011) of the Department of Parks and Wildlife, at Jandakot Airport – Fri 24 October 2014. The Department of Parks and Wildlife uses a fleet of American Champion 8GCBC Scout aircraft as fire spotter aircraft for forest patrols in the south-west of WA. They are based at Jandakot, Bunbury, Dwellingup and Manjimup, and fly across areas set each day according to the forecast fire weather conditions. The aircraft fly more hours during the hotter months (around 3,500 hours) due to the increased fire risk. They also supervise waterbombing operations in the south-west, relaying information to fire controllers regarding the fire’s behaviour to assist in firefighting and ensuring the safety of fire crews. VH-KTG was built in 2011. Photo © David Eyre

AIR ATTACK

Air Attack call signs are fire agency designations for air attack supervisor platforms, and the call signs remain unchanged regardless of whether the actual airframe is changed. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) frequently rotate their Scout fleet around the various bases, so their AIR ATTACK callsigns change, but their SPOTTER callsigns remain unchanged. AIR ATTACK platforms are managed by DBCA.

Bases and fleets

Jandakot

4x BOMBERS (Air Tractor AT802)
4x HELITACKS (Bell 214)
1x FIRESCAN (Beech 200 Super King Air)
1x FIREBIRD (various Squirrel / Dauphin helicopters)
2x SPOTTER (American Champion Scout)

Serpentine

1x HELITACK (Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane – ‘Georgia Peach’)

Bunbury

2x BOMBERS (AT802)
1x FIREBIRD (Squirrel)
1x BIRDDOG (GA8 Airvan)
1x SPOTTER (Scout)

Busselton

1x BOMBER (Large Air Tanker) (C-130H)
1x BIRDDOG (Turbo Commander 690A)
2x HELITACKS (Bell 214)

Manjimup

2x BOMBERS (AT802)
2x SPOTTERS (Scout)

Albany

2x BOMBERS (AT802)
1x SPOTTERS (Scout)

A41-213 Boeing C-17A Globemaster III of 36 Squadron, RAAF. Photo © Joel Baverstock Delivered 50 Tonnes of fire retardant chemicals to Busselton Airport from RAAF Base Richmond, NSW. Arrived and departed Busselton on 9 January 2021.
A97-447 Lockheed-Martin C-130J-30 Hercules of 37 Squadron, RAAF. Delivered fire retardant chemicals to Busselton from RAAF Base Richmond, NSW. Arrived at Busselton on 4 February 2021, departed to Perth Airport the same day, then departed Perth to Richmond on 5 February 2021.	Photo to be added soon
A41-209 Boeing C-17A Globemaster III of 36 Squadron, RAAF. Delivered fire retardant chemicals to Busselton Airport from RAAF Base Richmond, NSW. Arrived and departed Busselton on 5 February 2021.	Photo to be added soon
A41-208 Boeing C-17A Globemaster III of 36 Squadron, RAAF. Photo © Jarrod Swanwick Delivered fire retardant chemicals to Busselton Airport from RAAF Base Richmond, NSW. Arrived Busselton on 9 February 2021, departed to RAAF Base Amberley on 10 February 2021.

BIRDDOG 123 VH-RMB Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1 Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (13 January – 19 February 2021, based at Busselton)
BIRDDOG 125 VH-CLT Rockwell Turbo Commander 690A Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (17 Dec 2020 – 15 January 2021, based at Busselton)
BIRDDOG 201 (also used FIRESCAN 201) N561CG Cessna 560 Citation Encore of Coulson Aviation. Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (2 – 7 Feb 2021 – temporarily based at Busselton – main base is RAAF Base Richmond, NSW)
BIRDDOG 275 VH-HPY Gulfstream 695A Jetprop Commander 1000 Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (17 February 2021 – current, based at Busselton)

BOMBER 131 N130FF Lockheed EC-130Q Hercules Photo © Joel Baverstock (5 Jan 2021 – 12 Jan 2021, temporarily based at Busselton to assist with fighting fires)
BOMBER 132 N132CG Lockheed C-130H Hercules Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (16 Dec 2020 – current, based at Busselton)
BOMBER 137 N137CG Boeing 737-3H4 Fireliner Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (3 – 6 February 2020, temporarily based at Busselton – main base is RAAF Base Richmond, NSW)
BOMBER 210 N138CG Boeing 737-3H4 Fireliner Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (2 – 7 February 2020, temporarily based at Busselton – main base is RAAF Base Richmond, NSW)
BOMBER 601 VH-DUQ Air Tractor AT-802 Photo © Jonathan Williams (Based at Bunbury)
BOMBER 602 VH-FGO Air Tractor AT-802A Photo © David Eyre (Based at Jandakot)
BOMBER 603 VH-XWH Air Tractor AT-802 Photo © David Eyre	Photo to be added soon
BOMBER 604 VH-DUN Air Tractor AT-802A Photo © Keith Anderson (Based at Albany)
BOMBER 605 VH-FED Air Tractor AT-802 Photo © David Eyre (Based at Bunbury)
BOMBER 606 VH-FCO Air Tractor AT-802A Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (Based at Jandakot)
BOMBER 607 VH-DUJ Air Tractor AT-802 Photo © David Eyre (Based at Jandakot)
BOMBER 608 VH-DUA Air Tractor AT-802 Photo © David Eyre (Based at Jandakot)
BOMBER 609 VH-DUW Air Tractor AT-802A Photo © David Eyre (Based at Bunbury)
BOMBER 610 VH-JID Air Tractor AT-802 Photo © Jonathan Williams (Based at Albany)
BOMBER 612 VH-NID Air Tractor AT-802AF Photo © Keith Anderson (Based at Jandakot)
BOMBER 614 VH-FEC Air Tractor AT-504 (2-seats side-by-side, normally used for training) Photo © Keith Anderson (Based at Jandakot)

FIREBIRD 620 VH-JVC Aerospatiale AS350-FX2 (Heli-Lynx conversion) Photo © David Eyre (Based at Jandakot)
FIREBIRD 623 VH-YUQ Eurocopter AS355F-1 Twin Squirrel Photo © David Eyre (Based at Jandakot)
FIREBIRD 624 VH-JRI Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III Photo © Keith Anderson (Based at Jandakot)
FIREBIRD 629 VH-NRW Aerospatiale AS350B2 Squirrel Photo © Keith Anderson (Based at Jandakot)
FIREBIRD 661 N82MD Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphin 2 Photo © Jayden Hills (Based at Jandakot)
FIREBIRD 662 N97MD Aerospatiale SA365N-1 Dauphin 2 Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (Based at Jandakot)
FIREBIRD 663 N365JL Aerospatiale AS365N2 Dauphin 2 Photo © Jayden Hills (Based at Jandakot)

HELITACK 671 P2-MSA Bell 214B-1 BigLifter Photo © Nick Stubbs-Ross (Based at Jandakot)
HELITACK 672 N234PH Bell 214B-1 BigLifter Photo © Caleb Hotz (Based at Jandakot)
HELITACK 673 N254SM Bell 214B-1 BigLifter Photo © Caleb Hotz (Based at Jandakot)
HELITACK 674 N49732 Bell 214B-1 BigLifter Photo © Jayden Hills (Based at Jandakot)
HELITACK 676 N216PJ Bell 214B-1 BigLifter Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (Based at Busselton)
HELITACK 677 N217PJ Bell 214B-1 BigLifter Photo © Jarrod Swanwick (Based at Busselton)
HELITACK 678 N1073W Bell 214B-1 BigLifter Photo © Jayden Hills (26 Jan 2021 – current, based at Jandakot)
HELITACK 733 N154AC ‘Georgia Peach’ Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane Photo © Keith Anderson (20 Nov 2020 – current, based at Serpentine Airfield)

Firefighting aircraft in Western Australia: 2020 – 2021