European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has successfully tested interchangeable firefighting equipment for the military type A400M in Spain. The tests took place in daylight at an altitude of around 150 feet.

Furthermore, these included low airspeeds of up to 125 knots and jettisoning of up to 20 tons of water from the current tank in less than ten seconds. The aim of the campaign was to validate the water drop quantity and time as well as the ability of the A400M for this new role.

The prototype was developed and tested in close cooperation with the Spanish Air Force Squadron 43, the European fire protection authorities and the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Change and Demography (MITECO).

“The development of firefighting equipment is an essential part of our efforts to contribute to a more sustainable and safer world through our actions and our products. We are convinced that the A400M can play a crucial role in combating the increasing threat of wildfires and in protecting the environment and infrastructure,” said Michael Schöllhorn, CEO of Airbus Defense and Space.

The Airbus firefighting solution for the A400M is a so-called roll-on/roll-off kit (RORO), which requires no modifications to the aircraft and can therefore be used in any A400M. The water is contained in a fixed tank in the hold and is held back by two independent doors. These are connected to two flood pipes so that when the diversion is activated the water is expelled through two sections at the end of the ramp. With the new RORO solution, emergency services can react quickly to unforeseen fires and then convert the aircraft again for other missions.

Because the A400M can fly very low and is agile even at low speeds, it can accurately jettison water from up to 150 feet. In the future, in addition to the development of the production version of this kit, Airbus will also analyze night use in order to further increase the efficiency and effectiveness of firefighting operations.