Airtanker firefighting is the most spectacular tool used to fight wildland fires. However, it employs a rudimentary large-scale spraying technology operating at a high speed and a long distance from the target. This review gives an overview of the fluid dynamics processes that govern this practice, which are characterized by rich and varied physical phenomena. The liquid column penetration in the air, its large-scale fragmentation, and an intense surface atomization give shape to the rainfall produced by the airtanker and the deposition of the final product on the ground. The cloud dynamics is controlled by droplet breakup, evaporation, and wind dispersion. The process of liquid deposition onto the forest canopy is full of open questions of great interest for rainfall retention in vegetation. Of major importance, but still requiring investigation, is the role of the complex non-Newtonian viscoelastic and shear-thinning behavior of the retardant dropped to stop the fire propagation. The review describes the need for future research devoted to the subject.

中文翻译：

---

空中加油机消防的流体动力学


空中加油机消防是用于扑灭野火的最壮观的工具。然而，它采用了一种基本的大规模喷涂技术，可以高速、距离目标很远地运行。这篇综述概述了支配这种实践的流体动力学过程，其特点是丰富多样的物理现象。液柱在空气中的渗透、大规模的碎裂和强烈的表面雾化形成了空中加油机产生的降雨和最终产品在地面上的沉积。云动力学由液滴破碎、蒸发和风扩散控制。液体沉积到森林树冠上的过程充满了对植被中降雨保持非常感兴趣的开放性问题。主要重要但仍然需要调查的是滴落的阻燃剂的复杂非牛顿粘弹性和剪切稀化行为的作用，以阻止火势蔓延。该综述描述了未来专门针对该主题进行研究的必要性。