Interagency Aviation Strategy - July 2008 - National Wildfire ...

Specific Reports
Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT)
The Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) program is lead by the Bureau of Land
Management and supported by other federal and state agencies. It was first developed to
meet the demand for rapid retardant and suppressant delivery at the local level. The
capability began as agricultural aircraft were temporarily reconfigured for fire
suppression and pressed into action on a rental agreement. Today, the program’s high
level of sophistication is evidenced by high performance, purpose-built aircraft,
organized government and industry requirements and policy with dedicated funding and
acquisition. Several states also contract for SEAT capability.
Recommended Aircraft Numbers and Cost:
Secure a core federal fleet of 35 SEAT aircraft annually for 90 day periods.
Aircraft Personnel Total/Yr
35 Aircraft @ 90 days X
$2500/day =
$7,875,000
35 SEAT Mgrs @ GS-7/5
X $4726 mo X 6 mo =
$992,460
$8,867,460
Recommended Target Aircraft Characteristics:
Target aircraft characteristics include single engine, turboprop, 165-200 mph cruise
speed, 700-1000 gallon capacity with constant flow tanking/gating systems. Emphasis
will be to acquire purpose-built aircraft with FAA certification for firefighting (currently,
the Air Tractor 802 is the only make/model SEAT with such certification).
Recommended Acquisition Methods:
Federal acquisition responsibilities shall remain with the Department of the Interior.
Exclusive use contracts or “variable term contracts” (30, 60 or 90 day guarantee) will be
utilized to secure the core SEAT fleet. A Call-When-Needed (CWN) contract will be
maintained with all approved vendors/aircraft to provide spontaneous acquisition on a
daily basis with no guarantee.
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