Summary

  • Coulson Aviation signs $400M 10-year contract with NSW RFS
  • Coulson to operate the entire RFS fleet, including Boeing 737 Fireliner LAT
  • The new contract includes an apprenticeship program for maintenance training.

On Monday, July 15, Coulson Aviation announced it had signed a new contract with Australia’s New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS). This contract is a 10-year contract worth $400 million. The new contract specifically lists Coulson Aviation to support the New South Wales RFS aerial firefighting operations. Previously, Coulson Aviation has managed the New South Wales RFS fleet for the last five years.

Newly signed operating contract

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This new contract is a continuation of the contract that was in place between Coulson Aviation and the New South Wales RFS that has been taking place over the past five years. Coulson Aviation will continue operating the entire RFS fleet.

The RFS fleet includes:

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Coulson Group, Wayne Coulson, spoke about the newly signed contract. He stated,

“We are extremely pleased to have been chosen as the sole aviation supplier to operate the NSW Rural Fire Service-owned fleet of firefighting and emergency services aircraft. Coulson Aviation Australia has been the leading supplier of Large Air Tankers and Very Large Heli-Tankers to the Australian Governments for the past decade, and it’s an honor to have been selected again, to continue to run RFS’s world-class fleet.”

In addition to operating the RFS fleet, Coulson Aviation will assist the RFS in conducting training sessions and maintaining the fleet through equipment inspections. Because of the maintenance plan, the contract also includes an apprenticeship program. Two mechanical apprentices will be included on each aviation team, which will help the apprentices learn about the maintenance of aerial firefighting aircraft. This new program will be expanded throughout the New South Wales community.

Coulson Aviation Boeing 737-300 Water bomber

The Commissioner of the New South Wales RFS, Rob Rogers, also spoke about the new deal, stating,

“The RFS has found a reliable and high-performing partner in Coulson Aviation, and we look forward to working with them as our aerial capability continues to expand.”

Coulson Aviation was called upon frequently in the last bushfire season. The company completed 340 missions and saved over 110 people in need. The RF’s flagship aircraft, the Boeing 737, was deployed over 40 times throughout the year, and it dropped over 600,000 liters of fire retardant.

About Coulson Aviation

The British Columbia, Canada-based company operates a large fleet of air tankers for aerial firefighting. Coulson Aviation, which was originally founded in 1960, did not start operating aircraft until the late 1980s. Originally, the company began as a forestry and logging company, before beginning to operate helicopters and eventually aircraft.

Coulson Aviation

Photo: Coulson Aviation

Specifically, the company operates in Canada, the United States, Chile, and Australia, as previously mentioned. To assist in aerial firefighting operations, Coulson Aviation operates several variants of helicopters and aircraft. This includes:

  • Chinook CH-47 Helitankers
  • Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk Helitankers
  • Sikorsky S-61 Helicopters
  • Sikorsky S-76 Helicopters
  • Bell 412 Helicopters
  • Boeing 737 FireLiner
  • C-130 Hercules
  • Martin Mars
  • Bombardier Challengers
  • Cessna Citations

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