CL-415 Superscooper
ICAO CL2TThe amphibious water bomber that refills by skimming a lake. Live CL-415 positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No CL-415 Superscooper is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- De Havilland Canada
- Role
- Aerial firefighting
- Class
- A2T — Amphibian, 2 turboprop engines
- Crew
- 2
- First flight
- 6 December 1993
- In service
- 1994
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the CL-415 Superscooper
The CL-415 is the only aircraft in wide service designed from the start to fight fires, and its defining trick is scooping: it lands on a lake or the sea, skims along at speed with probes down, takes on six tonnes of water in about twelve seconds, and takes off again without ever stopping.
That turnaround is what makes it valuable. A land-based tanker has to fly back to a base and be refilled; a Superscooper working near water can drop again within minutes, and in a Mediterranean summer that difference is decisive.
Italy, Greece, Croatia, Spain, France, Canada and others operate it, and in fire season it is one of the busiest types on this feed.
Callsign prefixes
- CANADAIR
- Italian and Croatian firefighting flights
- PELICAN
- French Sécurité Civile
- TANKER
- Generic firefighting operations
How to recognise it
- —A high-wing amphibian with a boat hull and floats mounted under the wings.
- —Two turboprops mounted high on the wing, well clear of spray.
- —In fire season: repeated short circuits between a lake or coastline and a fire.
Common questions
+ How does a Superscooper refill?
It lands on water and skims along the surface with intake probes lowered, taking on around 6,000 litres in about twelve seconds before lifting off again. It never has to stop.
+ Is it still in production?
A new version is. De Havilland Canada is bringing the design back as the DHC-515 after production of the CL-415 ended, with European orders already placed.
+ Why do these appear on a military tracker?
They are state aircraft. Civil protection and forestry agencies are carried in the feed this site reads alongside air force aircraft, and several are operated by air forces directly.