De Havilland Canada is assembling the first DHC-515 Firefighter amphibious water bomber at its Calgary facilities, with structures progressing toward a 2028 first delivery. Production milestones include joining the cockpit and hull to form the forward fuselage and completing the 28.6-meter wing box assembly.
The twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100-powered DHC-515 updates the CL-415, featuring Universal Avionics Insight touchscreen instruments, a 187-knot cruise speed, and capacity for 6,137 liters of water. De Havilland manufactures airframes, wings, cockpits, and other aerostructures in-house, rebooting a supply chain idled since Bombardier halted CL-415 production in 2015.
Orders total 22 aircraft for European customers including Croatia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and France, with signed contracts for 11 via the Canadian Commercial Corporation. Recent Canadian commitments encompass Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta, the latter ordering five for C$400 million with first delivery in spring 2031.
De Havilland produces the initial three DHC-515s in Calgary, targeting nine to 12 annually at full rate. Final assembly will relocate to De Havilland Field east of Calgary, with groundbreaking planned for 2027 and operations by 2028 or 2030. Vice President of Corporate Affairs Neil Sweeney states the program is in good shape after resolving supply chain issues.
A March 10, 2026 update video showcases assembly activity across Canadian sites, highlighting precision manufacturing for this purpose-built firefighting platform.