A400M used in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Bill Bailey sent us the following info for sharing.
(Thanks, Bill!)

Airbus A400M Grizzly, November 2023, Airbus photo
Airbus A400M Grizzly, November 2023, Airbus photo

Airbus A400M Grizzly
A4M006
c/n 006

This A400M, then registered as F-WWMZ, was the one used in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

“Filming of an action scene featuring Ethan Hunt … hanging on the outside of a flying Airbus A400M Atlas took place at RAF Wittering near Stamford. Tom Cruise performed the sequence, at times suspended on the aircraft over 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in the air, without the use of a stunt double. To pull off this stunt, the production team were given a limited period of only 48 hours. The plane took off and landed eight times before they had the perfect shot.” (Wikipedia)

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Airbus upgrades A400M firefighter prototype kit
December 2023
GETAFE, SPAIN — Airbus Defence and Space has conducted a new flight-test campaign of the A400M roll-on/roll-off firefighting prototype kit, dropping 20,000 litres of retardant (OVER 5,000 GALLONS) and creating high-concentration lines over 400 metres long on the ground.

Over a period of two weeks, the A400M carried out a ground- and flight-test campaign in southwestern and central Spain, including six drops, three of which using retardant and three using water.

“We have tested a new version of the kit, improving dropping efficiency and reducing discharge time by over 30 percent  compared with last year, while combined with rapid deployment and easy installation on the A400M aircraft,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. “We continue to pioneer new solutions and capabilities for our A400M fleet, in this case protecting populations and natural environments from fires.”

An easy-to-install solution
This roll-on/roll-off kit does not require any modification to the aircraft and therefore is interchangeable to any aircraft in the A400M fleet. The water or retardant is stored in a tank in the cargo hold of the aircraft, and by using a mechanical lever, a door is opened to allow the liquid to flow out of the aircraft by gravity means through a discharge pipe. The current design of the prototype is capable of dropping 20,000 litres in a single discharge.

The tanks can be filled in less than ten minutes using standard high-pressure pumps on the ground. The A400M is characterised by its ability to take off and land on short and unpaved runways and a wide range of air bases and airfields.

During the campaign, the 43rd Firefighting Squadron of the Spanish Air Force has been involved as technical advisors,  assuring that this capability in the A400M has operational value for any potential operator.

In July 2022, Airbus tested a removable firefighting demonstrator kit on the A400M for the first time. The company concluded that the A400M firefighting kit offers additional capabilities not available on the market thanks to its high drop capacity, high maneuvrability with the latest safety standards, day and night operation, and the potential to convert any regular A400M in any fleet to a firefighting aircraft at very short notice.

Source: Airbus

used in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

Airbus demonstrates dropping water from a removable tank in an A400M

Airbus A400M tests removable firefighting kit
Airbus A400M tests removable firefighting kit

Airbus recently tested a roll-on/roll-off system to enable an Airbus A400M to drop water on a wildland fire; they say it can hold up to “20 tonnes of water.” A video shot at the test site in Spain showed the water exiting the aircraft out the rear cargo ramp.

AIRBUS Firefighter drop water fires
Still image from the AIRBUS video, looking down, showing water flowing out of the rear cargo ramp on an Airbus A400M

Airbus provided some information about the system being tested:

The Airbus firefighting solution created for the A400M is a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) kit that requires no modification to the aircraft and therefore is interchangeable to any aircraft in the A400M fleet. The water is stored in a fixed tank in the cargo hold, and retained by two independent doors. These doors are connected to two flood pipes, so when the discharge is triggered, the water is expelled through two sections at the end of the ramp. The introduction of this RORO solution allows a rapid reaction to unforeseen fires and reconfiguration of the aircraft to any of its other roles.

It was tested at a minimum operating height of 150ft, flight speeds as low as 125 knots, and drops involving up to 20 tonnes of water in less than 10 seconds. Airbus also plans to test the system while flying at night.

Airbus’ video below describes the system.

The system is reminiscent of the Modular Airborne FireFighting System, MAFFS Generation 1 developed in the United States. After being rolled into a C-130, it dispensed retardant out the open cargo ramp. Due to retardant coming back into the C-130 during a drop and coating many parts of the aircraft, the next version, Generation 2, pumps the retardant out a port on the sealed left side troop door.

We have contacted Airbus for more details, asking how the water is forced out of the tank, if it is by compressed air, a pump, or simply gravity.

Below are more still images from the Airbus video.

AIRBUS Firefighter drop water fires
Still image from the AIRBUS video
AIRBUS Firefighter drop water fires
Still image from the AIRBUS video
AIRBUS Firefighter drop water fires
Still image from the AIRBUS video
AIRBUS Firefighter drop water fires
Still image from the AIRBUS video

In November, 2021 we wrote about a company in France that is designing a retardant delivery system for an Airbus A330. With variants of the original aircraft capable of transporting 247 to 400 passengers, Kepplair Evolution’s plans call for the A330 air tanker to be able to carry up to 9,000 gallons, just shy of the 9,400-gallon capacity of a DC-10 very large air tanker.

Diagram of an Airbus A330 with a Kepplair KIOS retardant delivery system. Kepplair image.
Diagram of an Airbus A330 with a Kepplair KIOS retardant delivery system. Kepplair image.

In collaboration with Pr Dominique Legendre of the Toulouse institute of fluid mechanics (IMFT), Kepplair has built a 1/3 scale prototype of their KIOS system which they say validated the concept of the patent by specifying the control to be implemented to guarantee a constant flow. As part of the maturation program managed by IMFT and Toulouse Tech Transfer, further tests are being carried out to confirm the scaling up.

Airbus begins tests of C295 air tanker

C295 test water drop
C295 test drop. Airbus photo.

Airbus Military has begun tests near Cordoba, Spain of a C295 aircraft modified as an air tanker. The flights went well, according to the company, and further tests are planned in the near future to make a more detailed analysis of the C295 as a firefighter aircraft.

The C295 looks similar to the C-27J but it has less impressive performance. According to Wikipedia (see the links above) the payload capacity of the C295 is about 5,000 pounds less and the engines have 57 percent of the horsepower of the C-27J. It would probably carry about 400 gallons less retardant than the C-27J, with a capacity of around 1,400 to 1,700 gallons is our guess.

Comparison, C-27J and C295
Comparison, C-27J and C295. Info from Wikipedia. (click to enlarge)

Rumor has it that France is considering replacing their fleet of Conair Turbocats, which are retrofitted Grumman S-2 Trackers.

A Polish Air Force CASA C-295M
A Polish Air Force CASA C-295M

 

Thanks go out to Walter