Missoula’s Neptune Aviation has won the largest of three contracts to supply next-generation air tankers to the U.S. Forest Service to fight fires.
Aero-Flite, Incorporated in Spokane, and an Albuquerque company got contracts as well. The Forest Service is taking four tankers from Neptune, and a total of three from the other companies.
The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise says the contracts will double the number of the next generation airtankers in the Forest Service fleet that can fly faster and carry more retardant than older firefighting aircraft still in use.
Forest Service officials say the agency is making progress modernizing its fleet of large air tankers.