The federal government announced Friday it has “conditionally” sold 10 retired military planes to a B.C. aes across the country
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The announcement comes amid growing calls for Canada to update and expand its fleet of firefighting aircraft as it contends with another devastating wildfire season
Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state for defence procurement, said it will take Coulson A each CC-130H Hercules plane for aerial firefighting purposes
That timeline means the first planes should be ready to re-enter service within 12 months, he told reporters in Abbotsford, B.C
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“These Hercs will begin a second life in that role, in a new role that’s increasingly important to Canada and around the world,” he said
“That is something to clap about.”
The CC-130H Hercules has traditionally been used for military transports, evacuations from natural emergencies, including wildfires, as well as search and rescue operations
They have been steadily replaced by Lockheed Martin’s more modern CC-130J-class Hercules planes
The 10 CC-130H aircraft are part of a fleet of 12 that were retired by the Royal Canadian Air Force in January
The remaining two will be displayed at bases and museums across Canada
The sale remains conditional, pending the completion of contractual arrangements and applicable Transport Canada regulatory approvals
The government did not release how much money the aircraft were sold for, with Fuhr saying it would be “inappropriate” to detail a commercial transaction
In June, the Senate committee on agriculture and forestry released a report calling on the government to fund a new national fleet of modern firefighting aircraft, among 15 recommendations to improve wildfire response
Ottawa announced in May it would lease 10 aircraft — four air tankers, one spotter plane and five heavy lift helicopters — for 150 days starting in June, but senators contended that wouldn’t be sufficient
—With files from Global’s Amy Judd and The Canadian Press
