By Steve Scauzillo
Los Angeles Daily News
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. — They resemble giant mechanical birds, swooping into the Pacific Ocean, scooping 1,600 gallons of water into each of their holding tanks and quickly dropping their wet loads onto local wildfire hotspots.
The world-famous Super Scoopers and their pilots were booked for five more years, under the $41.25 million multi-year contract approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 14.
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Though the unique firefighting aircraft have become well-known during decades of fire seasons in Los Angeles County, the county does not own them. They are on loan from the Quebec government through a lease agreement between the Canadian province and Los Angeles County.
The lease of the two CL-415 Super Scooper Air Tankers is between the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Service Aerien Gouvernemental (SAG), an arm of the government of Quebec, Canada. The previous contract began in 2021 and is set to expire on Wednesday, county documents show.
The air tankers soon will be arriving at Van Nuys Airport, their home base during firefighting missions. The dates coincide with the start of fire season, which is in the early fall when Santa Ana winds blow that often fuel wildfires.
“The Super Scoopers are a valued part of our firefighting effort and are planned to arrive locally in late August and go into service in early September, with the exact dates still to be finalized,” wrote Aaron Katon, fire captain with LA County Fire Department in an email on Tuesday.
In a letter from Fire Chief Anthony Marrone to the board, he wrote of the need for the planes as fire season approaches. The Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County, funded by property tax revenues, pays for the equipment.
“The Super Scoopers play a critical role and enhance the District’s fire suppression capabilities during the critical months of LA County’s wildfire season,” Marrone wrote.
This will be the 33rd year of service for the Super Scoopers in Los Angeles County.
“Extending this partnership with the Government of Québec builds on 33 years of collaboration that has made Los Angeles County stronger and safer,” wrote Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath in an emailed response after the vote.
“These aircraft proved their value during the Palisades fire, and continuing to invest in world-class aerial firefighting resources ensures our Fire Department has the capabilities it needs to respond quickly and aggressively to the growing threat of wildfires,” she added.
Horvath’s district includes the unincorporated areas affected by the fire that occurred on Jan. 7, 2025. The Palisades fire destroyed 6,831 structures and 975 other were damaged. The fire killed 12 civilians.
During that fire, a privately operated drone crashed into one of the Super Scoopers on Jan. 9, 2025, as it flew over the Palisades fire making water drops, just two days after the deadly fire started.
The aircraft had to be taken out of service, hampering firefighting efforts. The Super Scooper was grounded for several days and repairs cost $65,000. Also, right after the drone struck the plane and ripped an approximately 3-by-6-inch hole in the aircraft’s left wing, all other firefighting aircraft were prevented from flying for up to 30 minutes, Los Angeles County Fire Department told this newspaper.
Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, of Culver City, plead guilty to one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Super Scoopers are 65 feet long, with a wingspan of roughly 93 feet. It takes only 10-15 seconds for the pilot to capture a tank full of water, with drops made every two to three minutes.
Super Scoopers were deployed during the Palisades and Eaton fires, which burned during one of the most “memorable” fire seasons in the history of the partnership, with fall and winter fires in 2024 and 2025 creating challenging environments where pilots faced hazardous flying conditions.
The Super Scoopers were dispatched to 34 fires and provided water drops on 13 incidents in 2025, dropping 300,800 gallons of water, LA County Fire Department reported.
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