[MSFS2024] Lack of Firefighting Aircraft And Missions

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This is more of an all encompassing request. As an aerial firefighting aircraft creator, modder, and repainter of them, as well as someone who has been around this niche in real life for a good portion of their life. I sadly have found at least currently there is s severe lack of firefighting missions and aircraft for them in MSFS 2024.

I see there is already a topic related to lack of helicopter firefighting missions. However, in addition to those. I’d also like to voice the fact there is a glaring lack of fixed wing firefighting mission types. What exactly do I mean?

In aerial firefighting we have the categories broken down like this: I also say this is based on aircraft used, are also used in other countries, not just North America, which is what I will break this category down as.

Air Tactical Aircraft:
(this would be aircraft such as aircraft known as Bird Dogs, Lead Planes, Air Attack)

Fixed Wing Airtankers:
Type I Airtankers
Type II Airtankers
Tyoe III Airtankers
VLAT Airtankers
Scoopers

Rotary Wing:
Type I Helicopters
Type II Helicopters
Type III Helicopters

What I will be focusing largely are the Fixed wing tankers and rotary wing assets.

What do we have represent in MSFS 2024 currently on this categorical list?

Type I land based Airtankers:
None

Type II land based Airtankers:
None

Type III land based Airtankers:
None

VLAT land based Airtankers:
747-400F Global Super Tanker

Scoopers:
CL-415 Super Scooper
AT-802 Fireboss

Type I Helicopters
S-64E Skycrane (Non-op in firefighting) in tanked operations or bambi bucket
CH-47D Chinook (Non-op in firefighting) in tanked operations or bambi bucket
AS332 Super Puma (Non-op in firefighting) in tanked operations or bambi bucket

Type II Helicopters:
None

Type III Helicopters:
Bell 407 (Non-op in firefighting) in tanked operations or bambi bucket
AS350 Astar (Non-op in firefighting) in tanked operations or bambi bucket

So when I say land based airtankers, this refers to all the airtankers that are land based that do not scoop water, but require land based reloads of fire retardant or water. The 747 Super Tanker (VLAT) represents this category of aircraft, but represents the largest, least flexible of those aircraft. The AT-802 Fireboss and CL-415 Super Scooper can be ground loaded with fire retardant or water. But those other aircraft that aren’t scoopers are not represented at all in this sim and represent a HUGE part of aerial firefighting. I am personally surprised that Asobo went through the trouble in case of the AT-802, of representing the Ag version, which is largely the most widely produced version of the 802 and then skipped the 2nd most widely produced version of it in the land based airtanker version and went right to the scooper version. Seems baffling to me, but I guess I can see the focus being on the water based aircraft. Why those land based retardant based tankers were completely overlooked. I’m not sure, but them and their mission would be greatly appreciated to augment not just having to use the beastly 747 for that mission.

What types of aircraft would be in these non-represented categories of land based airtankers? These are examples of aircraft that have been used in service in North America, South America, Europe, and Australia from around 2003-2024.

VLAT:
Boeing 747-100/200/400F
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10

Type I:
Lockheed C-130H RADS equipped (Cal Fire, Coulson Aviation)
Lockheed C-130H3, C-130J-30 MAFFS II Equipped (USAF)
BAe-146-200/RJ85
McDonnell-Douglas MD-87
Lockheed P-3 Orion
Boeing 737-400/700

Type II:
Lockheed P-2V Neptune
Bombardier Q400-MR
Convair CV-580
Douglas DC-4/C-54

Type III:
Air Tractor AT-802
Thrush 710P
Grumman/Marsh S-2F3AT Turbo Tracker
Grumman/Conair S-2T Turbo Tracker

So in summary, it would be nice to see either those aircraft Asobo already has provided us get the full function of firefighting capabilities and functioning equipment. As well as possibly adding addition configurations to existing aircraft like the 802, to have those land based reload and retardant based airtanker missions expanded upon. Granted I know some of these aircraft listed exist in the 3rd party arena already, but there at least could be some additions or modifications done to the aircraft Asobo has already int he sim to do the retardant based operations that aren’t the 747.

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After coming back to this topic too, I can also suggest that perhaps adding the retardant land based aircraft that aren’t the VLAT would be easier to implement in the sim on top of giving helicopters fixed tank and bambi bucket operations.

So for example, allowing the S-64E to have full function of it’s scoop snorkel and the pond snorkel.

The AS350 could get a small capacity water tank and bambi bucket

The Super Puma also get a bucket and/or tank

The CH-47 can get a bucket and there are several different internal tank systems for them now for firefighting as well.

Add the AT-802F fixed gear land based variant. Since there are already 2 variants of the AT-802 in the sim. The Fireboss has a number of similar parts to it. I’d imagine given what’s already been modeled for the Ag version and scooper, the fixed gear land based airtanker wouldn’t be as big of an issue to add.

As far as the other classes of land based tankers, there are several 3rd party platforms that already exist in MSFS 2020. So maybe letting those go isn’t as big of an issue, but at least having a couple more land based retardant tankers that are intermediate in size, would be welcome greatly by the aerial firefighting community. An AT-802 fixed gear airtanker would be nice as stated, and something else in the intermediate Type II role like a Q400-MR. Since they are at least used world wide. USA, Australia, Canada, and France use that platform.

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It would be awesome to have more aerial firefighting aircraft than what’s currently in game. Especially retardant based ones.

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Definitely agree. Hopefully the firefighting aspect in the helicopters is fixed or added in those aspects. The airtanker portion, it would be nice to just get a couple of aircraft. Not a bunch, but at least 1 or 2 that can do those land based retardant ops, again that aren’t the gigantic 747. So a small airtanker like the 802 would be perfect and something intermediate as I was saying, like a Q400 or something in that intermediate Type II size range.