Coulson Aviation Canada has acquired 10 former Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-130H Hercules aircraft that it plans to convert for aerial firefighting, doubling the company's global fleet of C-130H tankers from 10 to 20.
The company announced the purchase on August 7, 2026, saying the aircraft were bought directly from the Canadian government. Coulson Aviation Canada will lead the conversion programme in British Columbia, covering engineering, certification, modification, maintenance, training and flight operations.
"These aircraft served Canada for decades and we would like to recognize the men and women of the RCAF that operated them with exceptional professionalism throughout their service," Coulson Aviation Canada chief executive Wayne Coulson said.
The CC-130H has a long record in Canadian service, flying tactical airlift, search and rescue, Arctic operations, disaster response and humanitarian missions. Retiring military Hercules make attractive candidates for conversion because the airframe is rugged, widely supported and well suited to the low-level, high-stress flying that aerial firefighting demands.
Converted to a retardant-delivery configuration, the type joins a global tanker market that has leaned heavily on the Hercules platform as ageing legacy air tankers are retired. Doubling the C-130H fleet gives Coulson far more capacity to position aircraft against increasingly long and severe wildfire seasons across North America and beyond.
The acquisition also illustrates how surplus military transports are finding second careers in civil special-mission roles. Rather than being scrapped, the ex-RCAF Hercules will be re-engineered for a mission that has only grown in importance, turning decades-old airlifters into front-line firefighting assets.
Sources: AeroTime. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. By Marco Bianchi.
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