DefenseAirbus completes tests with firefighting kit on A400M
Airbus has completed a demonstration test campaign of the firefighting kit installed on the A400M freighter.
The tests were carried out in Nîmes-Garons, France, and conducted by Entente-Valabre’s Test and Research Centre (CEREN), a French public institution that evaluates forest firefighting equipment.
The test campaign was carried out at the end of April, but has only just been announced. The A400M carried out multiple drops of fire-fighting material over an area of the airfield.
The drops were used to check the accuracy of the system and the concentration of the retardant. To conduct the tests, the aircraft reached altitudes below 30 meters (98 feet) and speeds around 230 km/h (125 knots).
According to Airbus, the A400M’s anti-fire kit is of the Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) type and requires no permanent modification to the aircraft, allowing any A400M in a fleet to be rapidly converted for firefighting missions on very short notice.
The system can discharge up to 20,000 liters of water or retardant by gravity through the rear ramp, with tanks capable of being refilled in less than 10 minutes using standard ground pumps.
“Following initial tests conducted in Spain, the successful completion of these tests in Nîmes is a crucial step forward in our ambition to shape an ecosystem of firefighting capabilities,” said Jo Müller, Head of Sustainability and Communications, Airbus Defense and Space.
Airbus recently agreed with its European partners a minimum production of eight A400M per year until 2029 in addition to investments to develop new airlifter capabilities.
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