The problem: Fires...The Solution: The Ilyushin Il-76 Waterbomber

Bush prefers America to burn than to buy only aircraft with capacity to put out wildfires at a stroke
President George W. Bush is known for his arrogance and narrow-mindedness. However, the fact that a President of the United States of America can prefer to watch his country burn in ferocious forest fires than to buy the only aircraft with the capacity to douse the flames much faster than the equipment he has available, is a shocking reminder of his incompetence,
which in this case is on a scale paramount to criminal negligence.

The Ilyushin Il-76 is codenamed "Candid" by NATO. In fact, it is anything but that. Designed in 1975 and produced in Tashkent, Uzbekhistan, its 4 engines give it a massive payload capacity, making the Ilyushin Il-76 up to ten times more effective in firefighting capacity than any other aircraft currently in use in the USA. It is also cheaper to run.

The C-130 Hercules, used by the Americans for large-scale firefighting, started production in 1951, 24 years before the Waterbomber and holds a capacity of 11, 350 liters of fire retardent. The Ilyushin Il-76 Waterbomber in comparison can hold up to 42,000 liters, making it the aircraft with the largest firefighting capacity in the world.

It is also the world's fastest and longest-range firefighter and has a far greater turnaround capacity than its competitors. Its firefighting capacity has been tried and tested in large forest fires and it has passed every test with flying colours.

George Bush would rather see American homes burn, American forests turned into wastelands and see American citizens die than to admit that Russia has a much better and much more effective firefighting option than the US producers can provide.

How he can justify the decision to disregard this option defies not only logic, but the question of whether or not he is competent to govern his country. Shouldn't the President of the United States of America look into all options to save the lives of his citizens, even if these options are made abroad?