WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.: Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc., a military defense contractor which offers air combat training, ground-threat support, mid-air refueling, aerial fire-fighting, and specialty aerial services to the U.S. and Foreign Militaries, and other Federal and State Agencies, is pleased to announce that it has received a certificate of airworthiness for its ILyushin IL-78 Mid-Air Refueling Supertanker, from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Tactical Air Defense Services’ ILyushin IL-78, which is under exclusive lease to the Company, is the only IL-78 operational in the United States.
The ILyushin IL-78 is a Russian Military Aircraft capable of refueling at an airspeed exceeding 400 knots, while delivering fuel to three aircraft simultaneously. The Company intends to provide its IL-78 to the U.S and Foreign Militaries for refueling during air combat training sessions and for contract refueling of military squadrons.
The ILyushin IL-78 is also the largest aircraft ever designed for aerial fire-fighting, and is considered the aerial fire-fighting supertanker of choice throughout much of the world because of its ability to carry an 18,000 gallon payload of liquid or fire-retardant, and to deliver its payload with precision and at slow air-speeds. Tactical Air Defense Services intends to provide its IL-78 to State and Federal Agencies to combat the increasing threat of wildfires that have caused so much devastation in California, Texas, and other parts of the United States in recent years.
Mark Daniels, CEO of Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc., states, “We are pleased to have received a certificate of airworthiness from the FAA for our ILyushin IL-78 Supertanker. Tactical Air Defense Services has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first commercial company to successfully bring a Russian IL-78 aircraft into the United States.
“The interest in our IL-78 that we are receiving from both government and private entities is significant, and we are currently pursuing a number of service contracts for both mid-air refueling and aerial fire-fighting services, and we believe that a contract will be forthcoming in the near future.”
