Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment

What Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment does

Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment Pty Ltd is an Australian privately held designer and manufacturer of aerial firefighting systems for helicopters, founded in 2006 by aeronautical engineer and helicopter pilot Jason Schellaars. The company is headquartered at Lake MacDonald, Queensland, with a wholly-owned US subsidiary (Helitak USA LLC) operating a production facility in Camarillo, California, opened in 2025 to serve North American demand. It employs over 40 skilled professionals across engineering, avionics, machining, welding, and management.

The product portfolio is organised around three integrated lines. The FT series of underbelly-mounted fire tanks ranges from the FT1300 (light helicopters such as Airbus H125/AS350 and Bell 407) up to the FT11K for Boeing CH-47 Chinook, with intermediate models covering Bell medium, Leonardo AW139/AW189, Sikorsky UH-60/S-70 Black Hawk, and Sikorsky S-92A platforms; each carries an FAA, EASA, or Transport Canada Supplemental Type Certificate. The Aerial Strike Bucket (FB) line spans 500L to 10,000L collapsible buckets compatible with any helicopter, and the Hover Pump (HP) line — HP2000, HP6000, HP10000, and SF6000 — provides 2,000–10,000 litres-per-minute in-flight refilling from shallow or remote water sources. The proprietary Fire Tank Controller (FTC) provides GPS telemetry, variable application-rate control, and operational data logging across the tank range. A carbon-fibre epoxy resin shell and a 25-minute roll-under install/removal system are recurring engineering differentiators.

Commercially, Helitak sells quote-based, customised equipment directly to commercial helicopter operators and government firefighting agencies in Australia, North America, Europe, and South Korea. Revenue is generated through one-time equipment sales rather than recurring contracts, with the May 2025 100th-tank production milestone and the equipping of 9 of 13 UH-60 Black Hawks in active US wildfire operations serving as the principal scale benchmarks. The company maintains no disclosed institutional capital and operates under concentrated founder/family ownership, with son Riley Schellaars serving as Engineer and Avionics Manager.

Name

Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment

Legal name

Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment Pty Ltd

Website

https://helitak.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment designs and manufactures certified aerial firefighting systems — underbelly fire tanks, strike buckets, and hover pumps — for helicopter operators and government firefighting agencies across Australia, North America, Europe, and South Korea.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fire Tank Sales: Sale of aerial firefighting tanks for various helicopter models ranging from light to heavy lift aircraft
2. Aerial Strike Bucket Sales: Direct sales of firefighting buckets in various capacities from 500L to 10,000L
3. Hover Pump Sales: Sales of hover pump systems including HP2000, HP6000, HP10000, and SF6000 models

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Helitak designs, manufactures, and supplies aerial firefighting equipment systems for helicopters. The product range comprises underbelly-mounted expandable Fire Tanks (FT series, 1,000L to 11,000L capacity), Aerial Strike Buckets (FB series, 500L to 10,000L), and Hover Pumps (HP2000/HP6000/HP10000/SF6000) for rapid water refilling. Products are certified by FAA, EASA, and Transport Canada across multiple helicopter platforms (Airbus, Bell, Leonardo, Sikorsky, Boeing).

Product overview

Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment is an Australian company (founded 2006) that designs and manufactures aerial firefighting systems for helicopters. The product portfolio consists of three core product lines: expandable belly Fire Tanks (FT series) ranging from 1000L to 11,000L capacity for light, medium, and heavy lift helicopters; Aerial Strike Buckets (FB series) ranging from 500L to 10,000L capacity compatible with any helicopter; and Hover Pumps (HP series) for rapid tank refilling from water sources while hovering. The Fire Tanks include models for Airbus, Bell, Leonardo, Sikorsky, and Boeing helicopters, with certifications including FAA, EASA, and Transport Canada STCs. Hover Pumps provide various flow rates (2000L-10,000L per minute) to match tank capacities. All products are manufactured in-house at Australian facilities with comprehensive training and support provided to customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Helitak Fire Tank (FT series) Underbelly-mounted, expandable aerial firefighting tanks for helicopters, ranging from 1,000L to 11,000L capacity, covering light (Airbus AS350/H125/H130/H135, Agusta 119, Bell 407/429, BK117), medium (Bell 412, UH-1H, B212, Leonardo AW139/AW189), and heavy lift platforms (Bell 214ST/B214B/B1, Sikorsky UH60/S70 Black Hawk, S-92, Airbus AS332/H225, Boeing CH-47 Chinook). Features carbon-fibre epoxy resin shell, 25-minute roll-under install/removal, and Helitak Fire Tank Controller (FTC) for variable application rate, GPS, and telemetry.
• Aerial Strike Bucket (FB series) Lightweight, collapsible firefighting buckets compatible with any helicopter, available in capacities from 500L (FB500) to 10,000L (FB10K). Features multi-drop capability, selectable door operation for precision water/retardant drops, rapid fill and dump, failsafe emergency door operation, and minimal moving parts for low maintenance.
• Helitak Hover Pump (HP series)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100th tank completed in May 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• McDermott AviationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQueensland-based helicopter operator using Helitak firefighting equipment. Featured alongside Helitak on WIN News demonstrating how two Queensland companies are making global impact in aerial firefighting.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Conair Group: Conair Group is a Canadian aerial firefighting operator and equipment provider that designs, manufactures, and operates its own retardant-tank-equipped aircraft. It overlaps with Helitak's Canadian and government wildfire-suppression customer base and competes in portions of the retardant-delivery equipment ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Cascade Aerospace: Cascade Aerospace provides helicopter MRO and modification services including firefighting configurations, STCs, and belly-tank installations. While broader in scope, it intersects with Helitak on helicopter firefighting modifications and certification work, particularly in North American and government channels.
• Aerial Fire Mag / HeliWagone Corp: HeliWagone manufactures ground-based helicopter support equipment and bucket-loader systems that pair with helicopter firefighting operations. It is an adjacent ecosystem supplier with overlapping customer base in commercial and government aerial firefighting.

Direct peers

• SEI Industries: SEI Industries is the inventor and dominant supplier of the Bambi Bucket, the most widely used helicopter firefighting bucket globally. It is Helitak's closest direct competitor across aerial buckets, hover-snak fill systems, and tank-related hardware, serving the same commercial operators and government agencies.
• Simplex Aerospace: Simplex Aerospace manufactures helicopter belly-mounted fire tanks, buckets, and related aerial firefighting equipment, including STC-cleared systems for several light and medium helicopter platforms. It directly competes with Helitak in belly tanks and accessories for the helicopter firefighting aftermarket.
• United Rotorcraft: United Rotorcraft designs, manufactures, and STCs helicopter modifications including aerial firefighting tank and bucket systems, and offers complete firefighting completions on Airbus and Sikorsky platforms. It is a direct competitor in tank/bucket equipment and helicopter completions serving the same wildfire and utility operators.

Broad incumbents

• Bell Helicopter: Bell manufactures the 407, 429, 412, UH-1H, 212, 214B/B1, and 214ST helicopters on which Helitak's FT1300, FT1800, FT2500, and FT3500 tanks are deployed. Bell is an important OEM relationship and a broader industry incumbent in helicopter firefighting.
• Sikorsky (Lockheed Martin): Sikorsky builds the UH-60 Black Hawk, S-70, and S-92 platforms that Helitak's FT4500 and FT5000 tanks are certified for. As the OEM of these helicopters, Sikorsky is a structural stakeholder in the firefighting retrofit market and a potential competitive or partnering counterparty.
• Airbus Helicopters: Airbus Helicopters manufactures the H125, H130, H135, H225, and AS350 platforms that Helitak's fire tanks are STC-certified for. As the OEM, it competes indirectly through bundled firefighting solutions and could in-source or partner on integrated equipment offerings.
• Leonardo Helicopters: Leonardo manufactures the AW139 and AW189 medium/heavy helicopters that Helitak's FT2200-FT2800 fire tanks are designed for. As the OEM, Leonardo is both a customer enabler and a potential broader-market competitor in integrated firefighting solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HelitakFireFightingEquipment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helitak-fire-fighting-equipment
• Xx.com/helitak

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment