Airbus upgrades A400M firefighter prototype kit
Airbus Defence and Space has conducted a flight test campaign of its new A400M Roll-on/Roll-off firefighting prototype kit
This latest iteration of the firefighting kit offers a reduced discharge time of ‘over 30 per cent’, as well as ‘improved dropping efficiency’ compared with last year’s model, according to Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space.
The kit is capable of discharging 20,000 liters at a time, and can be filled in less than 10 minutes.
The flight tests were conducted over a period of two weeks in southwestern and central Spain, and included six drops – three using red-coloured retardant, and three using water.
The new tests follows the successful demonstration of an earlier iteration of the firefighting kit in July 2022.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.