A400M takes on wildfires in France: first Gironde deployment with a paletized retardant-drop system
France has deployed the Airbus A400M on a wildfire response in Gironde for the first time, using a specially installed kit to drop 20 tonnes of retardant. Reporting notes the aircraft was not originally designed for firefighting, but a tank/cuve installation and paletized system—akin to MAFFS concepts—have been tested to enable the mission.