When the fight against Alberta wildfires takes to the sky, airtankers are the giants of the fleet.

Airtankers have been a mainstay in Alberta's aerial firefighting arsenal for years. Following a record 2023 wildfire season, the province has plans to upgrade the fleet and add more machines to its water-bombing crews. 

Unlike smaller skimmer planes that fill their tanks with water in seconds, airtankers have a much larger payload, carrying thousands of litres of fire retardant to the flames with ea…