DC-10 Supertanker 

To Help Fight Wallow Fire

 

PHOENIX -- Fire officials said they are bringing in a DC-10 supertanker that is retrofitted to drop a mile-long line of fire retardant.

A fire spokesman on Wednesday had previously identified the plane as a Boeing 747 supertanker.

A fire official said the supertanker has a greater drop capability and twice the speed of any other federal air tanker currently fighting fires.

The aircraft carries a massive payload of fire retardant, which is about many times the volume of the government's largest air tankers, the official said.

The DC-10 is also equipped with a pressurized system that has the capability to disperse retardant at high pressure for an overwhelming response or disperse at the speed of falling rain in a single or several segmented drops, according to the official.

It can even fly at night, when the fire is usually less active.

The plane is expected to arrive Thursday.