Airbus tests new kit allowing A400M airlifter to fight fires
By Guillermo Martinez and Juan Medina
EL CUBILLO DE UCEDA, Spain, Dec 19 (Reuters) -European aerospace group Airbus AIR.PA is testing in Spain removable kit that can transform an A400M military transport aircraft into a plane to combat wildfires, as the world faces more virulent fires due to climate change.
The tests in El Cubillo de Uceda, 69 km (43 miles) from Madrid, aim to confirm the kit's efficiency when indirectly attacking wildfires, Airbus said.
The kit, consisting of a tank and two discharge pipes installed in the cargo hold and ramp, can be added to any of the over 100 A400M transport aircraft already flying, so they can complement the job of fire brigades.
"You can convert the A400M into an aerial firefighting aircraft quickly, installing this kit in around 2-3 hours, and then you have the capability ready," Sara Vargas, project manager at Airbus Defence and Space, told Reuters.
The equipped airlifter can drop 20 tons of water or retardant onto the blaze, helping cut off large wildfires that aren't easily extinguishable.
"The advantage is that this aircraft can fly slow and low and is able, with its manoeuvrability, to do this operation with a very high standard of safety," Vargas added.
Airbus is tapping its clients for potential buyers of the kit, hoping to see it in use within a couple of years.
Scientists say that while most fires are started by humans, hot and dry conditions driven by climate change help them spread more quickly, burn longer and more intensely.
Environment Ministry official Alvaro Jimenez told a panel on wildfire management in Madrid on Wednesday that heatwaves, lack of rain and an increase in fuel brought about by dwindling rural activity were changing fire conditions.
Writing by Emma Pinedo
Editing by David Latona and Mark Potter
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
