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Airbus successfully test the kit Firefighting of the A400M during a flight test campaign in Spain. Photos and videos press Airbus
The test campaign was developed in daylight conditions. The plane flew as far as 150 feet tall, at a flight speed of 125 knots and got throw 20 tons of water from the current tank in less than 10 seconds. The main objective of the campaign has been to validate the quantity and time of discharge of the water, as well as the adaptation of the A400M to this new mission.
The development of this prototype and the tests have been carried out in close collaboration with the 43 Spanish Air Force Group, European authorities in firefighting operations, and with the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
“The development of this kit for extinguishing fires is part of our determination to create a more sustainable and safe planet through not only our actions, but also of our products. We are convinced that the A400M can play a fundamental role in combating the growing threat posed by forest fires and in supporting the recovery of social and environmental ecosystems”, declared Mike Schoellhorn, CEO de Airbus Defence and Space.
The firefighting solution you have developed Airbus for the A400M it is a loading and unloading kit (Roll-on/Roll-off o RORO) that does not require modifications to the aircraft and, so, can be installed on any aircraft in the A400M fleet. The water is stored in a rigid tank in the cargo hold that has two independent doors.. These doors are connected with a pair of ducts, so that, when the download is activated, the water is thrown by gravity through two sections located at the end of the chute. This RORO solution allows rapid response to unforeseen fires and reconfiguration of the aircraft as soon as possible so that it can return to perform any of its other functions.
Thanks to its low-altitude flight capability and low-speed maneuverability, the A400M can accurately launch charges of water at a very low height, up to 150 pies. In the future, in addition to developing the production version of this kit, Airbus plans to analyze this operation in night conditions, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the mission.
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