Fire Boss is pleased to announce the order for 31 Fire Boss from Air Tractor Europe [ATE] was closed during the recent Aerial Firefighting conference in Athens, Greece. This agreement marks a significant milestone for Air Tractor Europe; it is their largest order to date. Delivery will be spread through 2024 – 2026.
“We are thrilled to announce our contract for 31 Fire Boss. In addition to this multi-year order, ATE has purchased over 80 sets of floats for the European market,” said Vicente Huerta, President of Air Tractor Europe. “As we look ahead, the threat of wildfires is year-round. It is vital we create a fleet that can support our new reality.”
“We believe the Fire Boss’s outstanding performance, coupled with Air Tractor Europe’s operational expertise, will greatly enhance wildfire suppression efforts,” said Chuck Wiplinger, President and CEO of Wipaire, the company that owns Fire Boss. “This order further solidifies the long-standing partnership between our two companies and their commitment to providing safe and fast aerial support, spanning Europe.”
Air Tractor Europe is the exclusive Air Tractor distributor for Europe, North Africa, and Middle East. The company was established in 1965 and has been an Air Tractor dealer since October 1996. ATE has a large structure ready to provide integral services for procurement, maintenance, consulting, training, and aerial operations.
Aircraft facilities in Castellón, Spain include an EASA145 maintenance and AT802 repair center with avionics, engines and propeller capabilities, a CAMO+ center, an EASA147 training center, a flight school for land and amphibious training and an FTD Leve 2 simulator for both land and amphibious AT802.
Fire Boss LLC is the designer and manufacturer of the Fire Boss, a water scooping system that is installed exclusively on the Air Tractor AT-802. The Fire Boss system combines several airframe modifications, aircraft performance enhancers, and a pair of Wipline 10000 series amphibious water-scooping floats that enable the AT-802 Single Engine Air Tanker to scoop up to 800 gallons in about 15 seconds. Over 160 Fire Boss systems are currently in operation throughout the world. Fire Boss LLC is part of the Wipaire group of companies based in South St. Paul, Minnesota. Wipaire is the largest manufacturer of aircraft floats in the world, having built floats for various aircraft types ranging from 2-seat Piper Cubs up to the 21-seat Viking Twin Otter.
