Retired passenger airliners are getting a second life fighting fires as iconic jets are repurposed as water bombers – take a look

JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty

• Aerial firefighting firms are repurposing passenger airliners into flying fire trucks as the intensity of forest and wildfires grows each year.
• Aging aircraft like the Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 are finding new purpose in the dangerous task. 
• Passenger seats are removed and thousand-gallon tanks are being installed to carry water or fire retardants. 
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Forest and wildfires are worsening every year, according to NASA, and battling them is no easy task. The blazes can decimate millions of acres and reduce lush green forests to smoldering piles of ash in a matter of weeks. 

While firefighters do what they can from the ground, they'll often call for air support in the form of aerial tankers, assisting the effort by bombarding the infernos from above with water or fire retardant. It's a dangerous task but one that's giving some retired airliners a second-life beyond carrying passengers or freight.

Very few planes are built with firefighting in mind so firms are taking the aging aircraft that have been abandoned by the airlines and repurposing them to stop fires and ultimately, save lives and property. And unlike the current trend in the airline industry, the bigger the jet the better.

The Boeing 747, for example, that once held the title of the world's largest passenger airliner until the A380 came around now holds the title of the world's largest firefighting aircraft. There's only one in existence and its seen action all over the world, making good use of its massive frame that now stores water tanks instead of passengers. 

But it's not an easy task as fighting fires requires the aircraft – and the pilots flying them – to get up close and personal with the deadly blazes. 

Take a look at why former passenger aircraft are critical to stopping fires.

This Boeing 747 is the world's largest aerial firefighting plane.

Joe Amon/The Denver Post/Getty

Known as the Global Supertanker, this jet has fought fires around the world. Most recently, it's been fighting wildfires in California.

Joe Amon/The Denver Post/Getty

Source: 9News Colorado

The Boeing 747 is normally known for its superior passenger capacity but the Global Supertanker's capacity isn't measured in seats, but gallons.

Joe Amon/The Denver Post/Getty


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