The Erickson Aero Tanker is the most versatile fire bomber available
The MD-87 fire tanker is loaded using one or two (individual or simultaneously) 3” coupled loading ports on each side of the fuselage. These ports can sustain up to 600 gallons per minute flow maximum. Few, if any tanker bases utilize both ports, loading using a single port at an average flow rate of 450 gallons per minute, giving the load time of under 7 minutes. More at eatanker website and Aerotanker Blog
