Bridger Aerospace to purchase Spanish Scoopers

Bridger Aerospace has announced that it will purchase four CL-215T fixed-wing firefighting aircraft for €40 million from the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

The purchase will bring Bridger’s CL-215T and CL-415 Scooper fleet to 10 aircraft – which the company says will make it the largest private operator of that type in the world.

Tim Sheehy, CEO of Bridger Aerospace, confirmed that the company ‘hopes to have the first two Scooper aircraft available for the 2024 fire season, with the additional aircraft available as soon as upgrades are made to those airframes’. He added that ‘we look forward to supporting efforts to provide wildfire protection to European communities’.

Bridger’s firefighting aircraft fleet will expand further following the expected completion of its acquisition of Bighorn Airways later this year. That acquisition will bring the company’s fleet to 32 aircraft.

“Growing our water bombing fleet by 66 per cent gives us the ability to protect more communities globally against the growing threat of wildfires,” added Sheehy. “With scarcity of aerial firefighting assets at an all-time high, this purchase represents a strategic and transformative step for Bridger and the global firefighting market as a whole. We have seen rising demand for our Scoopers internationally in recent years, and we look forward to deploying these assets globally.”

Bridger previously acquired a new CL-415EAF from manufacturer De Havilland Canada in February 2023.