Tanker numbers (part 1)

Yesterday I was talking with a good friend about the recent termination of Aero Union's contract by the USFS, that there were now only 11 heavy air tankers (note 1) available. I went on to say that there were about three to four times the number of heavy tankers ten years ago then there are today. He needed some better numbers than I could provide for a project, so I asked my aviation historian friend, Tom Janney for some help. The following sentences come from my conversations with Tom. The idea being is to provide some relatively decent numbers representing the decline in the number of heavy tankers from 2001 to present. The numbers are good enough to get the point across that my friend is interested in, that the number of heavy tankers have decreased since over the last ten years and the loss of Aero Union's tankers only makes matters worse. I thought that my friend's question and Tom's response are interesting and pertinent to the recent termination of Aero Union's contract.

Prior to 2002, there were 44 airworthy heavy air tankers (note 2). At of the start of the 2011 fire season, there were 19 heavy air tankers available for use. As of August 2, 2011, there were only 11 heavy tankers (all Lockheed P-2V's) available.

Eleven is not enough.

This is the first of two or three articles on the numbers of federally contracted air tankers. I'll post the second article, focusing a little more on the aftermath of the 2002 tanker crashes as time allows, probably sometime next month.

Notes

1. For purposes of this article, when I use the phrase heavy air tankers, I am referring to air tankers with retardant tank capacity from 1,200 to 3,000 gallons. Where the capacity is under ideal conditions.

2. Simply, 44 airworthy heavy air tankers means that there were 44 heavy air tankers that the industry could have fielded as tankers prior to 2002. The number of heavy air tankers on federal contract would have bee a little less, perhaps 41 or 42.

As I understand it, tanker contractors contract for a certain number of tankers. So, if a tanker has to pulled off duty and out of service for longer than three days, then the contractor will be in violation of their contract. To avoid this circumstance, most if not all contractors will keep a "spare" tanker around that can be put on contract to replace a tanker that is out of service thus the contractor is in compliance with contract by supplying the contracted number of aircraft. This "spare tanker" will be an "airworthy" tanker.

edited 6:15 and 7:50 PM EDT on Aug. 3 and 2:52 PM on Aug. 4