An Ilyushin Il-76 dropping water on a simulated train crash during the NATO-Russian Exercise Bogorodsk in Noginsk, Russia, between September 24 and 27, 2002. The type has been used to great effect to put out fires in the CIS, Turkey and Greece.

Evergreen has converted this Boeing 747-200 for firefighting, with FAA certification expected in February next year. This conversion, like that used on the Il-76, has the advantage that the aircraft can easily revert to being used as a freighter.

At this year's Paris Air Show 10 Tanker - it is pictured demonstrating its ability to drop its 10,000 Imp gal payload, in this case water.

Computer-generated image of the BAe 146 airtanker dropping its 2,500 Imp gal load of fire retardant.