[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.

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I sincerely hope that along with more A/C, there exists a possibility for a 3rd party to expand on the missions. What’s there is fun, but imagine what a dedicated Air Attack Add-on could do? Multiple fires, spreading fires, more coordination with the guys on the ground…actual ground units (if only for scenery).

I don’t know if all this stuff is locked, though.

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Yeah for sure. The ability for us, the user to do anything customizable in this regard is locked behind all of Asobo/Microsoft’s file restriction and encryption. So we don’t even know how to go about making additional even 3rd party freeware or payware options to expand the ability to do that if they wont. There are 3rd party aircraft available out there for FS2020 and we have one we’re developing for both sims, but without knowing how or where to make changes or do certain things, we’re dead in the water for that in the 3rd party sense.

As I stated in this thread already, we have some platforms that can easily be made to do firefighting missions, but we can’t even modify stock aircraft in the sim for that. Since we have zero access to anything to even make liveries.

The bigger extended attack fires where you need a series of other tankers putting up perimeters with the assistance of overhead aircraft like a lead plane, Air Attack, and other helicopters would be super immersive and give an idea just how complex this mission set can be.

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We need fire mission with the AT-802 whit more than only the first drop. At least 1 or 2 refilling required will be a lot more fun.

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I already did an “initial firefighting” where I had to refill on a close-by lake so it can happen (but it only happened 1 out of 10 for me)

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Indeed, on both counts there aren’t many extended attack missions at all. They are mostly focused on initial attack and only use water as a direct attack weapon. There are no missions yet involving extended attack or use of fire retardant in that aspect.

This I feel also dictates why we need aircraft other than the 747 to do that role. I suppose the CL-415 and AT-802 Amphibian can in theory fulfill that roll, even though IRL, that is not their mission. In leu of the aircraft that actually do that mission, it would be nice to actually get mission sets that require this. Or retardant based structure protection and things like that. There’s so much potential and right now, it’s just so underwhelming. Well, and mostly non-functional on the rotary wing side of things.

I also just looked at the AT-802 thread and it also seems like the mission makers are also configuring scooping aircraft incorrectly as well. The CL-415 and AT-802 amphibian are being configured full of fuel, which they shouldn’t be for firefighting operations. They as I specified in that thread, are supposed to be focused on the best performance possible while carrying a full load of water/retardant for that aircraft.

I’ve been seeing a lot of videos on line where a CL-415 mission states to scoop a full load of water, but can’t climb above the water source because it’s too heavy. So you either cause engine damage pushing it, or have to jettison water to climb safely. Wildly inaccurate and frustrating to pilots. Or someone in the AT-802 mission states they can only scopp 40 gallons of water because the 802 is too heavy. Totally incorrect too. It should be scooping close to 700 gallons of water and the CL-415 should be scopping nearly twice that and not have any issues. So mission makers need to either allow us to configure the fuel or cut the amount of fuel significantly, as it would be IRL.

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As the title states. I’d like to request an additional airtanker variations be added that represents the retardant/water carrying land based airtankers that are so widely used around the world.

Using the AT-802 as an example. They carry slightly more than their amphibian 802 counterparts, and are slightly faster due to lighter weight and less drag. In the aerial firefighting realm of this sim we have nearly zero retardant based extended attack airtankers aside from the very large, inflexible, and expensive (in career mode) 747 VLAT. Having a retardant based small airtanker like the AT-802F would help bridge a gap in this hugely open gap in aerial firefighting. Since we already have 2 variants of the 802 in the sim, and largely most of the parts needed to make it already modeled based on the 2 versions provided. I thought it might not be that hard of an addition to make. Since we do lack any other medium or even large retardant based airtankers in this sim by default.

In the medium/large aspect of retardant based tankers, adding something like the Q400-AT would be a suitable 2nd option in this realm as well. It is a modern turboprop platform gaining ground in popularity in North America, Europe, and Australia. Carrying nearly twice as much as the CL-415 it represents the large airtanker category in real world operations, but isn’t quite as restrictive as it’s jet counterparts are.

The addition of these airplanes will give the option that a lot of other people are looking for rather than just operating scooping aircraft. Which, I’d like to point out is only a very small margin of initial and extended attack operations on wildfires. In some countries this may be the only type of asset available. But in places like nearly all of North America and Australia now, retardant based airtankers are the primary source airframes for Initial and extended attack firefighting missions.

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I was asked by firefighting community members to communicate where the sim is currently (28th April 2025). And why this topic is important to people wanting to operate in this niche of the sim.

We currently have 2 scooping aircraft and a single VLAT retardant based airtanker. That’s it. As of last month (March 2025) it was discovered that MS/Asobo now have no plans or have revealed official plans to actually add helicopter firefighting missions. S-64 Skycrane at least for the time being is a paperweight with zero firefighting capability, despite eing outfitted by the developer with firefighting equipment. The SDK, also does not show any sort of support for adding firefighting to helicopters. So in this sense, it’s been a huge false advertisement for those involved in aerial firefighting sadly. Wil that change in the future? Nobody knows, as MS/Asobo haven’t mentioned any sort of plans to fix or add this for helicopters.

In terms of fixed wing, the two scooping aircraft only represent the small portion of firefighting operations worldwide with scooping aircraft. The only retardant based extended attack aircraft provided is the gigantic and now extinct 747 VLAT. We do not have any small, intermediate, or large retardant based airtankers for extended attack missions. The environment for those mission types are also non-existent. So in other words, since this thread was started, nothing has really been done in that sense.

The AT-802’s flight performance does still need tweaking, but the CL-415 based on talking with others in other threads and outside of this forum we’ve discovered that the CL-415 according to real pilot input, agency manuals, etc. The CL-415 is still considerably underpowered. It is currently performing 10-15 knots under it’s maximum cruise speed with a load aboard and is only capable of about 43% of it’s climb performance ~750 FPM versus it’s cited 1,300 FPM loaded climb rate.

Career mode missions have also not been updated in any way either by how it sounds. So we’re hoping to boost visuals of this thread in the hopes they can fix the present issues and at least maybe add some variety and realism to the niche. Many thanks to anyone else who wishes to input anything else here, please do!

Here’s a short video update (posted 1 month ago so some information is accurate, but some of it is not)