Dash 8-400AT

The Conair Dash 8-400AT airtanker will demonstrate what makes it one of the leading firefighting aircraft in the world as it performs a water drop on the airfield at Aero Gatineau-Ottawa 2026. It is the newest, most modern, large airtanker in the world. Canada’s Conair converts the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 commercial aircraft, installing specialized Conair-developed avionics plus a tank on the exterior of the airframe, preserving the integrity of the aircraft plus keeping the cabin climate controlled to prevent pilot fatigue. The aircraft offers a 10,000 litre payload – retardant or water – operates from 5,000’ runways, loads its tank from airtanker bases in 5-7 minutes, flies as fast a jet to wildfires and drops retardant around the perimeter of a wildfire to slow fire spread. Conair is producing and delivering 4-5 of these airtankers each year, selling them to governments around the world. It also operates a fleet of 80 firefighting aircraft, including 19 Dash 8-400AT airtankers contracted by governments to respond to wildfires.