Thermal, Calif. – December 22, 2025 – Coulson Aviation has officially announced the launch of its new Boeing 767 Very Large Airtanker (VLAT) program, a major advance in its global aerial wildfire fighting capabilities.
The aim of the initiative is to sustainably replace the former VLAT platforms that are nearing the end of their service life.
The MD-11 and DC-10 The recent withdrawal of fleets has highlighted the structural challenge facing fire authorities worldwide. With the retirement of older, wide-body aircraft, the sector faces a significant reduction in capacity for large-scale deployments requiring the dropping of large amounts of fire-fighting material.
Coulson’s Boeing 767 VLAT aircraft is specifically designed to fill this gap, offering greater payload, lower fuel consumption and long-term operational sustainability compared to existing platforms.
“The aerial forest firefighting industry is undergoing rapid changes in the types of aircraft available, and authorities need solutions that are safe, effective and sustainable for decades,” said Britt Coulson, president and CEO of Coulson Aviation USA. “The 767 is a proven wide-body platform with global support, extensive parts supply, modern systems and highly competitive operating costs. Our program takes advantage of these advantages to deliver better performance than previous VLATs.”
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The 767 VLAT integrates the largest version of the company’s patented RADS (Retardant Aerial Delivery System) system ever developed, while retaining the ability to carry more than 160 passengers. The volume of the fire extinguisher tank is expected to exceed that of all VLATs currently in service. The aircraft is designed around the multi-role and all-risk versatility concept that characterizes Coulson’s fleet, while offering significant improvements in payload, fuel efficiency and ease of maintenance throughout its life cycle. Engineering phases, structural analysis and system integration planning are already underway, according to the company.
The new 767 VLAT complements and expands the existing Coulson Large Airtanker fleetwhich includes the C-130H Hercules and 737 Fireliner, which are currently considered the largest 4,000-gallon LAT solutions.
With the introduction of the new generation VLAT, the company intends to provide an additional strategic tool for firefighting authorities in situations that require long-term, continuous and high-volume aerial intervention.
Coulson Aviation emphasizes that it will continue to invest ahead of demand, ensuring its partners have access to reliable and efficient aircraft with global support. The Boeing 767 VLAT program represents the next step in the evolution of heavy aerial firefighting and reinforces the company’s leadership in providing safe, innovative and ready-to-deploy solutions to the international firefighting community.
Source and images: Coulson Aviation. This content is generated with the help of artificial intelligence and verified by the editorial team.
