Like I said, I hope all the best for them, but let's be honest...
It is also the only aircraft to have a variable pressure delivery system, and is able to perform segmented drops, meaning it can fight more than one fire in a single mission.
The evergreen 747 is NOT the only aircraft to have a variable pressure delivery system, and in truth most don't need a pressurized delivery system. All tankers can fight more than one fire in a single mission, including SEATs.
It also has loiter capability enabling ground control to direct it to specific areas.
Sure, it's got "loiter" capability, as do all tankers...but at 29,000 an hour, not too likely that the crew is going to be called on to provide directions for a ground engine to get to the fire...not going to happen. All tanker pilots (experienced tanker pilots, that is) have that capability, and occasionally do perform that task. Most tanker crews have 10 to 20 years or more of experience over the fire...whereas the 747 crew does not.
The award is unique because the Supertanker has an 8:1 drop ratio compared to that of all other current fire fighting aircraft, meaning the Supertanker will forever change the way wild land fires are fought.
If they're referring to coverage level, it's no different than other type I, II, and III tankers.
The Supertanker also has the ability to respond quickly to a variety of environmental and homeland security threats.
Ah....no. Quickly? The longest turnaround time of any tanker in the fleet, and the most limited capability so far as choice of reload bases and operations bases, to say nothing of fueling requirements, runway lengths, bearing surfaces, turnaround distances and times, etc.
Wide area decontamination, soil stabilization, oil spill response, and radiation knockdown are all within the response capability of the Supertanker, making it the most versatile aerial application vehicle in the World.
Whereas any other tanker can perform the same role, but from a much wider selection of runways and loading facilities with much smaller demands on ground crew, fuel resources, support equipment, etc...it's hardly the most versatile. Simply the biggest. It would be better if they'd just come out and say "we're the biggest." But they don't...they're hawking bad information. Truth is that the most versatile airplane for oil spill response, soil stabilization, and decon work is still the Air Tractor AT-802.