Bombardier makes first U.S. sale of fire-fighting amphibious plane

NORTH BAY, Ont.—Bombardier Inc. has made its first sale of the 415 amphibious aircraft in the United States, according to the transportation giant.

Dubbed the SuperScooper for its able to land on and fill up with water, the 415 is used in Canada and other countries to fight forest fires.

Although the first Bombardier 415 was delivered nearly 20 years ago, this is the first to be purchased by a U.S. buyer—a partnership led by Tenax Aerospace LLC, under contract to the U.S. Forest Service.

The plane, which is assembled in North Bay, Ont., has a list price of US$34.5-million.

Since the first Bombardier 415 was delivered in 1994, a total of 90 have been delivered to governments and firefighting agencies around the world.

There are also 80 of its predecessors, the CL-215 and CL-215T, still in service including five in the U.S.