Plans for Boeing 757 airtanker conversion

Singapore based ST Engineering announced on 16 February 2022 that its Commercial Aerospace business will design and convert an aerial firefighting platform based on the Boeing 757 aircraft for Galactic Holdings.

ST Engineering has vast experience in deep structural modification of passenger aircraft into freighters (P2F versions).

In the past years the company has converted almost 200 airliners of the Airbus A300/A310 family into freighters. In close cooperation with Airbus subsidiary Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden (Germany) ST engineering now focusses on the conversion of Airbus types A321 and A330.

As said, the company has decided to develop this first-in-the-world Boeing 757 Passenger-to-Tanker (P2T) programme. The prototype is to be converted at one of the Group’s airframe maintenance and modification facilities in the U.S. At this moment it is still unknown which airframe will be chosen for the conversion.

The average airtanker currently operated in the U.S. has a capacity of not more than 3000 gallons of fire retardant. The Boeing 757P2T, estimated to be completed in 2024, will have a capacity of up to 7,000 gallons, making it one of the largest aerial firefighting platforms available on the market when it enters service. Only two operational types in the world carry more retardant: the DC-10 Tanker 9,400 gallons and the Ilyushin Il-76 Tanker 11,570 gallons.

The 757P2T will be equipped with a state-of-the-art dispensing system that helps to ensure high accuracy in the delivery of fire retardant. Compared to the current generation of firefighting platforms that are in service, the Boeing 757P2T is also more fuel efficient, and has the versatility to be deployed to remote locations for firefighting missions.

Photo by Richard Vandervord via AirHistory.net shows Boeing 757 prototype N505EA during the Farnborough 1982 airshow (only illustrative)