WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 15, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc. (OTCBB:TADF), a military defense contractor which offers air combat training, ground-threat support, mid-air refueling, aerial fire-fighting, and specialty aerial services to the U.S. and Foreign Militaries, and other Federal and State Agencies, is pleased to announce that it has received a certificate of airworthiness for its ILyushin IL-78 Mid-Air Refueling Supertanker, from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Tactical Air Defense Services' ILyushin IL-78, which is under exclusive lease to the Company, is the only IL-78 operational in the United States.
The ILyushin IL-78 is a Russian Military Aircraft capable of refueling at an airspeed exceeding 400 knots, while delivering fuel to three aircraft simultaneously. The Company intends to provide its IL-78 to the U.S and Foreign Militaries for refueling during air combat training sessions and for contract refueling of military squadrons.
The ILyushin IL-78 is also the largest aircraft ever designed for aerial fire-fighting, and is considered the aerial fire-fighting supertanker of choice throughout much of the world because of its ability to carry an 18,000 gallon payload of liquid or fire-retardant, and to deliver its payload with precision and at slow air-speeds. Tactical Air Defense Services intends to provide its IL-78 to State and Federal Agencies to combat the increasing threat of wildfires that have caused so much devastation in California, Texas, and other parts of the United States in recent years.
Mark Daniels, CEO of Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc., states, "We are pleased to have received a certificate of airworthiness from the FAA for our ILyushin IL-78 Supertanker. Tactical Air Defense Services has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first commercial company to successfully bring a Russian IL-78 aircraft into the United States. The interest in our IL-78 that we are receiving from both government and private entities is significant, and we are currently pursuing a number of service contracts for both mid-air refueling and aerial fire-fighting services, and we believe that a contract will be forthcoming in the near future."
Safe Harbor Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934 that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the expectations and assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Some of these uncertainties include, without limitation, the company's ability to perform under existing contracts or to procure future contracts. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including without limitation, successful implementation of our business strategy and competition, any of which may cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements. We undertake no obligation and do not intend to update, revise or otherwise publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of any unanticipated events. Although we believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will materialize. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements.