Military Aviation

Airbus A400M Debuts Firefighting Mission as Wildfires Blaze Through France and Spain

Published on: July 28, 2026 at 5:06 PM CEST
Parth Satam Parth Satam
A400M Firefighting
The A400M during the firefighting operation. (Image credit: French Air and Space Force)

France has deployed the newly-developed firefighting kit aboard the A400M to support the assets suppressing the fires in the country’s southwest.

The Airbus A400M conducted its first firefighting operation when an aircraft  operated by the French Air and Space Force (FASF) dropped fire retardant over raging wildfires in France’s southwest on Jun. 25, 2026. The move is part of the response to the massive fires that are raging in France.

With the flames now closing in on the city of Bordeaux, Paris is saying the blazes could continue burning for months. Over 220,000 persons have been evacuated, according to the European Commissioner for crisis management Hadja Lahbib.

Airbus has been testing a modification kit to rapidly convert the A400M into a water bomber aircraft. This would allow the A400M to supplement traditional firefighting aircraft in case of high demand, such as with the current wildfires.

A variety of assets is being employed in the operation, including France’s fleet of 12 Canadair CL-415 amphibian firefighting aircraft operated by the Sécurité Civile (Civil Protection) force; Aérospatiale AS 350B3 helicopters of the Bouches-du-Rhône Fire and Rescue Service (Pompiers13) equipped with the Bambi Bucket system and Dash-8 Q400-MR multirole tankers. According to Aerial Fire, six Australian Air Tractor AT-802Fs from Aerotech Group and Xo Aviation have also been pressed into service for this effort.

A400M firefighting conversion and capability

The images released by Airbus and the FASF show the aircraft carrying the ‘A400M Firefighter Demo Kit Mk2’ and releasing the fire retardant. The press release by the Ministry of the Armed Forces suggested a single A400M being used in what it termed ‘Operation Sentinelle’, as a part of the continuing firefighting qualification testing being carried out with the Military Air Expertise Centre (CEAM), Airbus and the Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management since 2024.

The service’s 25-plus A400Ms are based at Air Base 123 (BA 123) in Orléans.

Indonesia too has been considering ordering firefighting kits for two of its own A400Ms from Airbus. Airbus said in November 2025 that the roll-on/ roll-off (Ro-Ro) modular firefighting kit allows the A400M to be rapidly converted into a water bomber aircraft, capable of dropping up to 20,000 litres (20 tons) of fire retardant or water in a single pass.

The Ro-Ro kit can be rapidly installed in the cargo hold without any permanent airframe modification. The tanks, which discharge the fire retardant through the rear ramp, can be refilled in under 10 minutes by standard ground pumps.

The company previously conducted trials and certification of this firefighting module in April 2025 at Nîmes-Garons. The performance of the kits firefighting ability was separately assessed by Entente-Valabre’s Test and Research Centre (CEREN).

The statement from Airbus said the so-called “cup grid tests” demonstrated “the accurate distribution and concentration of retardant upon reaching the ground,” with the modified A400M flying at altitudes below 30 meters (98 feet) and speeds around 230 km/hour (125 knots).

Canadair CL-415s at the Air Base 123 in Orléans. (Image Credit: French Air and Space Force)

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces added that the 20 ton fire-retardant drop capability is “equivalent to two drops by Dash aircraft.” The Ministry further explained how the A400M would be used in the firefighting role: “The aircraft would operate upstream of the flames. Its use would thus contribute to providing ad hoc support to specialized resources in this field, particularly those of the Civil Security service: Canadair and Dash aircraft. This new capability would not change the aircraft’s structure, which would retain its military capabilities.”

While the firefighting kit has now been used operationally, the trial phase will still continue and put the kit through the “necessary […] testing and qualification.” The statement further added “The CEAM (Air Warfare Experimentation Center) is fully committed to this effort, particularly in the operational performance evaluation phases and the formulation of conclusions.”

Le lundi 29 juin 2026 sur la base aérienne 106 “capitaine Michel Croci” les Air tractor décollent de la base (Image Credit: French Air and Space Force)

France’s former defense minister and current Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the first real-life fire retardant drop by the A400M as “A world first, made possible in just fifteen days thanks to the exemplary mobilization of Civil Security, the armed forces, and Airbus.” He further added: “Thank you to all those who made it possible. This new capability now strengthens the aerial resources already deployed in the field.”

Europe mobilizes

Interestingly, at least one of the two Czech S-70 Firehawks that Prague ordered in November 2025 also operated in suppressing the fires in the village of La Temple, in the Gironde department in southwestern France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The Fire and Rescue Service of the Czech Republic said on X that “The Czech air firefighting module in France today helped protect the village of Le Temple, which was practically surrounded by flames. The fire in the Gironde department affected around 30,000 ha.”

The EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid has informed that seven aircraft and four helicopters from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden and Turkey have been sent to France to help battling the fires.

Europe is also mobilizing to help Spain with the wildfires that are similarly expanding across its territory. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior has informed that four Canadair CL-415s (two each from Italy and Greece), along with 14 and 33 specialist personnel, respectively, are in various stages of beginning firefighting operations.

Greece additionally reported sending a C-27J Spartan to Spain to support the operations.

France, Greece and Turkey have sent six aircraft to Spain, while Portugal has deployed 134 personnel and 41 vehicles. Many of these aircraft are Portuguese and Turkish AT-802 firefighting aircraft.

Firefighting efforts so far

The French Air and Space Force has also said that the BA 123 and BA 107 in Villacoublay were providing support to the Civil Security department’s CL-415s. The aircraft landed there for technical stops while dousing fires in the Fontainebleau forest in Seine-et-Marne region.

“At very short notice, the military was able to refuel the aircraft, allowing them to quickly resume their missions,” said a statement.

Other FASF bases supporting the firefighting efforts include BA 701 Salon-de-Provence in the Southeast, which is “positioned close to the most exposed areas” and “hosted a water-bombing helicopter from the Bouches-du-Rhône Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS) throughout the summer season.” Further west, BA 106 in Bordeaux-Mérignac reactivated its water-bombing base on Jun. 24, as it was “located in the immediate vicinity of the most vulnerable forest areas.”

This facility specifically supported the resupply of water for the firefighting aircraft. “Since its commissioning this season, more than 240 movements have already been recorded, involving Dash 8s, Air Tractors, as well as Écureuil and Puma helicopters,” the FASF said.

Spain struggles

Even with Europe’s help, Spain is left with an aerial emergency rescue capability gap following the sanctions against Russia. In fact, its ten Russian Kamov Ka-32 11BC helicopters cannot receive spares or be serviced by Russian technicians owing to the embargo, La Razon reported. 

Portugal is similarly a former user of the Ka-32 firefighting helicopter, highly recognizable for its coaxial rotors. The country sent six of the aircraft to Ukraine in late 2024, after they were grounded by the sanctions.

Others have also pointed to the Russian Beriev Be-200 jet-powered amphibian aircraft that could have been requisitioned to meet the pressing need. The aircraft have however their limitations in terms of logistics, maintenance and maneuverability while flying between valleys and mountainous regions.

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By Parth Satam
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Parth Satam's career spans a decade and a half between two dailies and two defense publications. He believes war, as a human activity, has causes and results that go far beyond which missile and jet flies the fastest. He therefore loves analyzing military affairs at their intersection with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. The body of his work spans the entire breadth from defense aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asian, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and Space.
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