Aircraft
De Havilland To Bring DHC-515 Firefighter to Market
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada has letters of intent for 22 of the HCH-515 Firefighter turboprop twin and hopes to begin delivery in the mid-2020s.
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada is planning to hire up to 500 people and begin production of the DHC-515 Firefighter in Calgary, Alberta, with deliveries to begin in the middle of the decade. (Photo: De Havilland Aircraft of Canada)
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada is planning to hire up to 500 people and begin production of the DHC-515 Firefighter in Calgary, Alberta, with deliveries to begin in the middle of the decade. (Photo: De Havilland Aircraft of Canada)

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada is moving ahead with the DHC-515 Firefighter program, with letters of intent in hand for the first 22 from European customers. Viking Aircraft, which was recently folded into the De Havilland brand by parent Longview Aviation Capital, had acquired the CL-214 and CL-415 programs in 2016 and had since been mulling bringing a new waterbomber to production. However, the pandemic pushed back such a launch of what was originally called the CL-515.