European aeronautical group Airbus is testing a removable kit in Spain to transform an A400M military transport plane into a forest firefighting plane, as the world faces increasingly virulent fires due to climate change.
The tests carried out at El Cubillo de Uceda, 69 km from Madrid, aim to confirm the effectiveness of the kit in indirectly fighting forest fires, Airbus said.
The kit, consisting of a tank and two exhaust pipes installed in the hold and on the ramp, can be added to any of the more than 100 A400M transport aircraft already in flight, so that they can complete the work of fire brigades.
“You can convert the A400M into a firefighting aircraft quickly, installing this kit in about 2-3 hours, and then you have the capacity you need,” said Sara Vargas, project manager at Airbus Defense and Space , to the Reuters agency.
The equipped transport plane can drop 20 tonnes of water or retardant on the blaze, which makes it possible to contain large forest fires which are not easy to extinguish.
“The advantage is that this aircraft can fly slowly and at low altitude and is able, thanks to its maneuverability, to carry out this operation with a very high level of safety,” added Mr. Vargas.
Airbus is calling on its customers to find potential buyers of this kit, hoping that it will be used within a few years.
Scientists say while most fires are started by humans, hot, dry conditions brought about by climate change help them spread faster, burn longer and more intensely.
Alvaro Jimenez, an official with the environment ministry, said Wednesday in Madrid, during a roundtable on forest fire management, that heat waves, lack of rain and increased fuels due to the reduction in rural activity modified fire conditions.
