747 Supertanker
| 747 Supertanker | |
|---|---|
| Global 747-400 Supertanker, N744ST | |
| General information | |
| Type | Aerial firefighting |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Designer | |
| Status | N744ST Converted into a freighter and sold to National Airlines |
| Primary users | Global SuperTanker Services Evergreen International Aviation (former) |
| Number built | 3 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 2009 |
| First flight | 2006 |
| Retired | 2021 |
| Developed from | Boeing 747 |
The 747 Supertanker was a retired aerial firefighting airtanker derived from various Boeing 747 models. The aircraft is rated to carry up to 19,600 US gallons (74,000 L) of fire retardant or water. It was the largest aerial firefighting aircraft in the world.
Initially developed by Evergreen International Aviation, the first Supertanker was based on a 747-200 (N470EV, tanker/tail number 947), but never entered service. The second Supertanker (N479EV, tanker/tail number 979) was based on a 747-100 originally manufactured by Boeing in 1971 for Delta Air Lines. It entered service for the first time in 2009, fighting a fire in Cuenca, Spain, and made its first American operation on August 31, 2009 at the Oak Glen Fire in California. It is no longer in service.
The third 747 Supertanker was developed by Global Supertanker Services, which acquired most of Evergreen's assets. The Global Supertanker (N744ST, tanker/tail number 944) is a Boeing 747-400 dubbed the Spirit of John Muir. It was certified for firefighting flights by the Federal Aviation Administration in September 2016 and fought fires in Chile and Israel before being contracted by U.S. officials to fight California wildfires in 2017. It also took part in firefighting in Bolivia in August 2019. It was then sold to National Airlines and converted back to a cargo configuration in 2021, where it still keeps its original paint as of 2025.