Original Aircraft Skin McDonnell Douglas DC-10 N450AX
Largest aerial firefighter in the world now at Aviationtag!
Now that the Boeing 747-400 “Tanker 944” – previously converted into a global super tanker – has been repurposed into a cargo plane, the DC-10 100 from 10 Tanker is the largest firefighting plane in the world. It can drop 45,000 litres of water or fire retardant per flight from special tanks attached to its fuselage. The entire contents can be released within eight seconds, but the cockpit can also control and lengthen the release time variably.
Our N450AX initially left the factory doors for National Airlines in 1975 as N69NA sporting Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) 46942. From 1980, it flew as “Clipper Star Light” for the legendary Pan Am, before being deployed with its new registration N161AA for American Airlines as of 1983 and later also for Hawaiian Airlines.
The DC-10 100 was given its final registration N450AX in 1997, when it changed hands to the American charter airline Omni Air International. In 2005, it was finally converted into a firefighting plane, serving as the 910 for 10 Tanker until 2014.