We can manufacture any volume of bucket from 400 Litres (105 USG) up to 20,000 Litres (5,283 USG)

All of our buckets have Multi Drop and Variable Drop capabilities as standard

a bit about us

Aerial Fire Control Pty Ltd (AFC) has been manufacturing helicopter fire fighting buckets since 2001.

AFC is based in South Australia and is the only manufacturer of Multi-Drop/Variable Drop Fire Fighting Buckets in the world. We manufacture Fire Fighting buckets for both Private Operators and Government Agencies.

Chris Black, the Managing Director, has been involved with helicopters since 1977, having worked in both Australia and Papua New Guinea as a Pilot, Co-Pilot and Load Manager, with virtually all helicopter types up to the giant MI-26T.

Chris developed the Water Hog range of fire fighting buckets after experiencing first hand the amount of work required to keep existing fire fighting buckets operational, the huge costs involved with the constant purchase of spare parts and the considerable down time experienced by helicopter operators, costing them many valuable revenue hours; the goal being to design and manufacture buckets that are extremely reliable under all conditions.

In 2025, AFC was acquired by Vallfirest, The Wildfire Company. The Water Hog range continues to be manufactured in South Australia under Chris Black’s leadership, now backed by Vallfirest’s global network and reach, bringing Water Hog buckets to operators and agencies worldwide.

Watch the Water Hog in Action

Read What Our Customers Say About Us

Mike Watson

Fleet Helicopters

We at Fleet Helicopters are about to enter our 10th year using the Water Hog bucket.

We were sold on the design from the moment we tried out our first Waterhog way back in 2007 and have never considered changing.

They are fast to set up, fly nicely, are easy to pack up with very little chance of tangled lines and they simply never break down.

An unreliable bucket can cost you a lot of money when you are stuck on the ground trying to fix it. Flying the Water Hog gives us confidence that this won’t be an issue.

We now own 10 Water Hogs and have conducted thousands of hours of maintenance free bucketing operations - it is a brilliant product.

Jim Ryan

Truenorth Helicopters

Our 900Lt and 800Lt Water Hogs have been with us since early 2013 and have been a valuable tool over the previous 3 fire seasons.

The setup and cleaning/pack-down of the bucket is a simple one-man operation, the reliability of the bucket on task has been faultless, and the ability to vary and hold a valve position makes it easy to use.

The rigid shape formed with the ring installed provides a surprisingly good “cup” to access shallow water with, the bucket flies and fills excellently, and the in-flight agitation of additives occurs completely during the shortest of legs.

I personally find it a pleasure to operate, and would suggest trying one at the earliest opportunity.

Carl Mattheis

Baker Aircraft

2018 will be our 11th year using Water Hog Buckets. Our primary bucket has sat outside every summer since 2007 and the bag is still in great shape. The yellow has hardly faded. Over the course of those 11 years these buckets have only needed minor maintenance (seals, battens, cables, etc). They are fast to fill and set up. They can fill in very shallow water sources. The valve is very reliable and precise as well.

Parts have not been an issue either, even being in the United States. All major parts can still be had for very reasonable prices.

We are extremely happy with Water Hog buckets, and I don’t see that changing.

Dennis Smith

Windward Aviation, Maui

The Water Hog is the best firefighting tool I've ever used. It files well, is a precise, tough tool that always works, can even be stowed in the back of an MD500 in a matter of minutes, and allows easy pilot-controlled load adjustment when lifting (for example, letting some water out of the Hog prior to lifting from the dip site immediately after a refueling). I'll take the Water Hog ahead of anything else on the market.