New kid on the block....

July 6, 2008, about 8:00 am....

There's a new kid on the block and it's a Sikorsky S-61N. This type of aircraft has been used, though not often these days, to drop up to 20 smoke jumpers into a hot zone.

The Sikorsky S-61N has twin General Electric CT581401 or 1402 turboshafts (turbojet-driven) engines, each developing 1500 horsepower that spin five-blade main and tail rotors.

This chopper can carry a "bambi bucket" as it has done while in use during the Basin Complex assault; but, it also has a fixed tank underneath the aircraft that is capable of storing about 1000 gallons of water, all of which can be dropped at once or at a fixed rate of outflow. The tank can be refilled using a snorkel, as seen in this video.