"America to Fight Fires with Russian Aircrafts"

According to Pravda:

...Hawkins & Powers, one of America's leading fire extinguishing companies based in California will use [eight Be-200] planes for fighting forest fires along the US western coast...

The Be-200 amphibian aircraft is meant for extinguishing fires, aid in emergency situations, search and rescue operations by sea, also for sanitary and freight transportation. The aircraft can take up to 12 tons of water while gliding during one flight, transport and drop it at a fire site; at that, the aircraft employs high-precision navigation and flight control systems...

Why should you care, you ask? Well, as I pointed out here, the Russians have different ways of doing things.

I don't know whether these planes damage forests or not, but I certainly hope that that possibility is being considered and we aren't just going to let them go out untested.

Dropping huge sheets of water is quite a bit different from what trees and bushes are used to. If these planes put out fires, but take small trees, bushes, and large quantities of soil with them that will only make it much worse vis-a-vis mudslides and future fires.

OutdoorSports · Wed, 02/11/2004 - 15:08 · · Importance: 1