Tue, Feb 23, 2010
Tank Can Be Filled While The Aircraft Is In Hover
Eurocopter is displaying its new fire-fighting system developed
for the EC225 at this year’s Heli-Expo. The system has been
tested during forest fires on the island of Corsica (France). The
first operator to utilize this system is South Korea’s
National 119 Rescue Service with its EC225.
The EC225’s fire-fighting system consists of a flexible
1056 gallon tank attached to the floor of the cabin, a scoop and
water jettison kit and a system of hatches underneath the fuselage
to empty the tank. The tank can be pumped full with the helicopter
in hover flight, and the entire system is located inside the cabin
and can be assembled and dismantled in less than twenty minutes,
keeping the helicopter’s multi-role capability as a
fire-fighter, a transport aircraft as well as a medical evacuation
aircraft.
The trials in Corsica explored the helicopter’s entire
flight envelope when equipped with the fire-fighting system. The
helicopter’s flight behavior in fire-fighting configuration
was tested under real-life conditions in cooperation with the
Securité Civile, the French Emergency Preparedness
Organization.
During testing, the EC225 consistently demonstrated flight
characteristics that qualify the helicopter as a fire-fighting
platform. By dropping water from a lower altitude and at a lower
speed than a fixed-wing aircraft, it can target a fire with greater
precision, especially in mountainous terrain. Its ability to pump
water onboard in hover mode enables the helicopter to make use of
water supply points in close proximity of the disaster area.
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