Old military transport aircraft to get new lease on life as waterbombers

The federal government said Friday it is selling 10 of its used CC-130H Hercules aircraft to B.C.-based aerospace company Coulson Aviation, which will convert them into firefighting aircraft.

They’re part of a fleet of 12 retired by the Royal Canadian Air Force back in January. The remaining two Hercs will be put on public display at bases and museums.

Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr announced the conditional sale of the recently retired aircraft in Abbotsford, B.C., where an international air show is being held.

Fuhr called the sale a “gold standard” divestment project that will give the military assets a new lease on life.

“I can’t honestly think of a better divestiture,” Fuhr told The Canadian Press. “There’s jobs in the aerospace industry. We desperately need more firefighting capacity pretty much everywhere … whether it be Canada, Europe, Australia, the U.S. You can’t have too many of these assets.”

Countries around the world are coping with a waterbomber shortage as wildfires become more intense and frequent. More than 4,500 wildfires have blazed across Canada so far this year.

Coulson Aviation CEO Wayne Coulson said his company “has an expectation” that it can have the first of the aircraft ready for the next wildfire season.

While the company’s best-case timeline could see two of the Hercs converted by next year, it’s likely to receive the aircraft faster than it can convert them.

Coulson Aviation will convert and fly the aircraft on its own dime and offer their services under contract to governments. The conversion will happen in Port Alberni, B.C., and possibly also in Abbotsford and Kelowna.

“We don’t want to hang on to these things any longer than we have to. They cost money just sitting there. They’re needed doing the firefighting role,” Fuhr told the Friday news conference.

“Everybody’s pushing to get these airplanes moved from where they are now to the end user.”

The C-130H aircraft served as the backbone of the military’s airlift capability for decades. They were used for transporting personnel and large cargo loads, search-and-rescue operations and air-to-air refuelling. 

Ottawa has since replaced them with the more advanced C-130J tactical aircraft.

The 10 Hercules aircraft being sold will become large tankers that can carry thousands of litres of retardant and deploy to anywhere in the world. The conversion of a single aircraft is expected to take roughly 20,000 hours of work.

Both the company and the government refused to disclose the total price of the sale, saying that’s confidential information and part of the commercial agreement.

The federal government doesn’t always have the option of selling off old military assets. Sometimes they’re used to their end of life spans and Ottawa has no choice but to dispose of them.

Once Canada retires its four Victoria class submarines in the next decade, they will almost certainly end up scrapped.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2026.

By Kyle Duggan | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.