To improve its capacity to combat forest fires, the French Civil Security Service intends to deploy an Airbus A400M as early as this summer. Up to 20 tonnes of water, or the equivalent of three Canadair water bombers, may be dropped by the aircraft.
The Director General of Civil Security, Julien Marion, said Friday that an Airbus A400M military cargo aircraft may be used this summer to combat the growing number of wildfires in France caused by the temperature and drought.
After an interministerial crisis conference at the Ministry of the Interior, the senior official emphasised, “We will likely implement a new, innovative method of fighting forest fires this season: the use of the A400M aircraft, which is part of our armed forces’ fleet.”
The army has been using the Airbus A400M, a military transport aircraft, for both tactical and strategic transport operations since 2013.
According to the Chief of Civil Security, it may be outfitted with “a high-capacity water-drop kit, with a 20-tonne capacity, which is equivalent to three Canadair water bombers” for firefighting operations.
It might be utilised “within 10 to 15 days, depending on the need”, according to Julien Marion, in addition to the 12 Canadair water bombers that have already been deployed.
The head of Civil Security estimated that since the start of the year, more than 25,000 hectares have burnt in France, reporting “just over 8,000 fires”. “That’s roughly double what was measured at the same time last year,” he said.
Recent days have seen fires in France, especially in the Drôme (3,700 hectares), the Indre (900 hectares), and the Pyrénées-Orientales (4,900 hectares).
