Spanish company BDE is developing a firefighting modification for the de Havilland DHC-4A Caribou transport aircraft. The Madrid-based firm is developing a 4,500litre-capacity retardant tank kit designed to be installed or removed from the aircraft's cargo hold in less than 4h.
Certification work is under way at BDE's Miami plant, and US approval is expected to be gained in September.
The company plans to market the firefighting kit to Caribou operators, but has also acquired three ex-Spanish air force DHC-4s which it wants to remarket. Kit-equipped aircraft will be available in January 1999.
As a firefighting aircraft, BDE argues that the Caribou offers the advantage of short take-off and landing, plus the ability to operate into unprepared airstrips, allowing landings close to sources of available water.
The roll-on/roll-off firefighting kit will also be suitable for the later DHC-5 Buffalo, BDE says.
Source: Flight International