Global Supertanker operations shut down for financial reasons Global Supertanker operations shut down for financial reasons COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The world's largest firefighting aircraft's future remains up in the air after owners announced it is ceasing operations. On Friday, a spokesperson with Global SuperTanker Services, based in Colorado Springs confirmed with KRDO the Global SuperTanker is shutting down operations. The President of GSTS Dan Reese telling KRDO on Monday the decision was made strictly for financial reasons. “It’s a difficult pill to swallow and a hard blow,” Reese says. Reese says the decision to stop operations was handed down by the investment group of the SuperTanker. Over the past three years, the massive red and white Boeing 747-400 freighter capable of dropping 19,200 gallons of water within seconds had to go through several upgrades and updates to its system. The upgrades were to meet all federal requirements and to improve the aircraft's capabilities when battling wildfires. Some of the improvements include in-flight communications, retardant trail-off, capacity, and drop programming.