Photo: Airbus
The A400M, also known as the Atlas, is described by its maker, Airbus, as “the most advanced, proven and certified airlifter available.” That may or may not be true, but what we do know is that this winged machine is incredibly versatile.
Born in the early 2010s as a military transport aircraft meant to slot between the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, it has spread in the short time it’s been around to serve the needs of about ten countries, most of them European, of course, but also places like Malaysia, Kazakhstan, or Indonesia.
The plane is a four-engine turboprop capable of flying for as much as 8,900 km (5,530 miles) on a single outing, while holding up to 37 tons of cargo and moving at Mach .72. Aside from transport, it also plays the role of airborne tanker for the aircraft in need of fresh juice.
As of this week, a new capability should be added to the list of things the Atlas can do: fighting fires. The European company just announced it has successfully tested a new, removable firefighting demonstrator kit on the plane, a piece of news that comes at a time when the Old Continent needs all the help it can get to fight the raging fires caused by the extreme heat there.
Airbus tested the plane’s capability of dropping water in Spain. The mission was a daylight one and saw the machine climb to 150 feet (46 meters). Flying at 144 mph (232 kph), it released 20 tons of water in just ten seconds.
The kit used on the plane, of a roll-on/roll-off variety, required no modifications to be made to the Atlas. It is in fact a fixed tank with two independent doors, both connected to two flood pipes, that allow water to be expelled through two sections at the end of the ramp.
Airbus plans to make the kit available for commercial use, but no mention is made as to when it should be ready.
The plane is a four-engine turboprop capable of flying for as much as 8,900 km (5,530 miles) on a single outing, while holding up to 37 tons of cargo and moving at Mach .72. Aside from transport, it also plays the role of airborne tanker for the aircraft in need of fresh juice.
As of this week, a new capability should be added to the list of things the Atlas can do: fighting fires. The European company just announced it has successfully tested a new, removable firefighting demonstrator kit on the plane, a piece of news that comes at a time when the Old Continent needs all the help it can get to fight the raging fires caused by the extreme heat there.
Airbus tested the plane’s capability of dropping water in Spain. The mission was a daylight one and saw the machine climb to 150 feet (46 meters). Flying at 144 mph (232 kph), it released 20 tons of water in just ten seconds.
The kit used on the plane, of a roll-on/roll-off variety, required no modifications to be made to the Atlas. It is in fact a fixed tank with two independent doors, both connected to two flood pipes, that allow water to be expelled through two sections at the end of the ramp.
Airbus plans to make the kit available for commercial use, but no mention is made as to when it should be ready.
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