A GoPro user in southeastern France recorded an unusual sight: four CL-415 water bombers taking on water to fight wildfires burning out of control in the region.
Twitter user @niceamine06 recorded the CL-415s flying low over Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, scooping up water to fight local forest fires. The CL-415s are currently fighting wildfires across southeastern France and Corsica.
As David Cenciotti at The Aviationist points out, the planes are operated by France's Sécurité Civile, a civil defense agency that tackles diverse threats including forest fires and unexploded bombs left over from World War II. The Sécurité Civile operates a dozen CL-415s.
There's also a two minute video by @niceanime06.
The CL-415 is an amphibious water bomber purpose-built to land in bodies of water, scoop up a bellyful of H20, and drop it on wildfires. The planes scoop up a full load of 1,692 gallons of water in just 12 seconds, which has earned it the nickname "SuperScooper." Alternately, the two-seater CL-415 can carry fire retardant.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
