photo: Airbus Military photo: Airbus Military Airbus Military has completed a second round of tests of its prototype C295 fir...
 |
| photo: Airbus Military |
 |
| photo: Airbus Military |
Airbus Military has
completed a second round of tests of its prototype C295 firefighting
aircraft which will provide detailed data on the performance of its
water dropping system.
Following earlier testing
of the system, the company conducted seven water drops at a special
range near Cordoba, Spain using ground equipment designed to measure the
dispersal pattern of the water.
The trials were
successfully completed and showed good initial promise, confirming the
aircraft’s highly satisfactory handling during the drop procedure. In
the coming weeks the data will be examined in detail to enable decisions
to be taken on the final configuration of the C295 firefighter.
In the trials the aircraft carried one 3,500 litre tank and the water was gravity-ejected through two dispensers in the belly.
The planned configuration
would offer double that capacity with two 3,500 litre tanks being
deployed using a roll-on/roll-off system which would permit the aircraft
to be used for transport purposes when not required for firefighting
duties – greatly increasing its cost-effectiveness.
