Thermal, California, USA – December 22, 2025 – Coulson Aviation officially announced the launch of the new Boeing 767 Very Large Airtanker (VLAT) program, marking an important step in global aerial forest fire fighting capabilities.
This project aims to gradually replace existing VLAT platforms that are approaching the end of their service life in a sustainable manner.
Recently MD-11 and DC-10 The retirement of the fleet highlights the structural challenges faced by firefighting agencies around the world. As older wide-body airliners retire from service, the industry’s ability to deploy large quantities of flame retardants on large-scale missions is significantly declining.
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Coulson’s Boeing 767 VLAT is designed to fill this gap, offering higher payload capacity, lower fuel consumption and long-term operational sustainability than existing platforms.
“The aircraft types available for aerial firefighting are changing rapidly, and agencies need solutions that remain safe, efficient and sustainable for decades to come,” said Britt Coulson, president and CEO of Coulson Aviation America. “The 767 is a proven wide-body platform with global support, abundant component supply, modern systems, and extremely competitive operating costs. Our plan is to leverage these advantages to provide performance beyond the existing VLAT.”
The 767 VLAT will incorporate the largest version of the company’s patented RADS (Retardant Aerial Delivery System) in history, while still retaining the ability to carry more than 160 passengers. Its retardant tank capacity is expected to exceed that of any VLAT currently in service. The aircraft will follow the Coulson fleet’s consistent multi-mission and “all-risk” flexible design concepts, and will bring significant improvements in load capacity, fuel efficiency and maintenance convenience throughout its life cycle. The company said that the engineering design, structural analysis and system integration planning phases have now begun.
The new 767 VLAT will complement and expand Coulson’s existing Large Airtanker fleetincluding the C-130H Hercules and 737 Fireliner, which are currently considered the most powerful LAT solutions in service with a capacity of up to 4,000 gallons.
By introducing the next generation VLAT, Coulson hopes to provide fire agencies with an additional strategic tool in situations requiring long-term, continuous and high-volume air suppression.
Coulson Aviation said it will continue to invest ahead of market demand to ensure partners have access to a reliable and efficient fleet with global support. The Boeing 767 VLAT program represents the next stage in the evolution of heavy-duty aerial forest fire fighting capabilities and further solidifies the company’s leadership in providing safe, innovative and mission-ready solutions to the international firefighting community.
Source and image: Coulson Aviation. This content is produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.
