Leonardo announced it was now offering an innovative, high-tech solution for the increasingly difficult fight against forest fires in the form of the C-27J Next Generation “Fire Fighter”, a twin-engine turboprop aircraft intended to work alongside helicopters and amphibious “scooper” aircraft that take water directly from seas, lakes and rivers. What makes this aircraft unique is the second generation MAFFS II (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System), a “roll-on/roll off” transportable module that can be loaded and unloaded as required in only 90 minutes. The module consists essentially of a 7,500-litre tank which can be refilled on the ground with water and retardant liquid in under 10 minutes, and a spray nozzle emerging through the left hatch of the fuselage.
In line with the company’s Environmental Sustainability Plan (which already includes the C-27J in this special configuration among its technological solutions for fighting the effects of climate change), the fire-retardant liquid chosen by Leonardo for use on the C-27J Fire Fighter is diluted Phos Chek 259 FX, composed of a mixture of ammonium polyphosphates – Ammonium Phosphate (map) CAS no. 7722-76-01 and Diammonium Phosphate CAS no. 7783-28-0. These substances are normally used for agricultural fertilisation and are absolutely non-polluting and non-harmful for the environment, people and animals, as certified by studies conducted by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), published on the website www.echa.europa.eu. In accordance with Regulation No. 1272/2008 (CLP), the product is not classified as hazardous, persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic (PBT/vPvB), and will not cause endocrine disruption or harmful effects on health. This is the compound normally used by fire fighters to carry out fire fighting missions all over Italy.
The C-27J Fire Fighter is able to operate effectively even at low altitudes and in unfavourable weather conditions. Agile, manoeuvrable and fast, it is equipped with cutting-edge digital avionics, with a maximum cruising speed of 325 knots (602 Km/h) and STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) characteristics allowing it to take off and land on short or semi-prepared runways near the sites of intervention; it can quickly reach and operate optimally where and when other firefighting vehicles travelling by air or land can’t, including isolated locations and places where water is scarce or the sea is too rough for “scooper” type aircraft. At an average speed of 130 knots (250 Km/h), a pressurised jet of water mixed with fire-retardant liquid can cover a large amount of ground with each drop. Its range can be adjusted, allowing the crew to adapt the profile of the mission to the specific conditions of each fire and the orography of the terrain. Moreover, the proposed solution is not limited to fighting fires, but can also be used in their prevention.
An effective fire-fighting system must meet a series of requirements: ability to reach isolated areas far away from the sea or other sources of water; rapid response to emergencies; reduction of environmental impact in line with the guidelines of the European Green Deal; use of multi-mission solutions capable of reducing the cost of operating the aircraft, ensuring continuous use even in winter; having a large number of common platforms with high operational flexibility for different types of missions; including the “aircraft system” in the context of a high level of interoperability with ground structures. Finally, the aircraft can be easily reconfigured for transport, humanitarian support, civil protection, and Search and Rescue missions. For all these reasons, the C-27J Next Generation “Fire Fighter” represents the best solution – already chosen by Slovenia – to guarantee rapidity, efficiency and effectiveness of intervention, not only for fire fighting but in numerous other fields, all to the advantage of versatility and, consequently, of cost-effectiveness compared to other specialised set-ups.
The testing and certification of the MAFFS II module and all subsystems is already under way, and with this in mind, on Monday, 11 November 2024, an in-flight operational demonstration with real drops was held at the Navy Aircraft Station on the grounds of Maristaer airport in Taranto-Grottaglie and at the former Navy airfield in Manduria (Taranto).
Leonardo’s C-27J “Spartan” Next Generation is the most effective and versatile multi-role, multi-mission tactical transport aircraft of its class available on the market today. Its ability to operate on even the most rudimentary runways and in extreme environmental conditions is unmatched by any other twin-engine transport aircraft. The C-27J Next Generation’s operational efficiency and performance has been further improved with the introduction of new aerodynamic equipment and solutions.
The C-27J Next Generation is equipped with new digital avionics for operating in civil airspace without limitations and improving interoperability in various tactical scenarios. The new wing tips equipped with “winglets” also help improve climbing performance and increase maximum take-off weight (MTOW) by a further 1,000 kg, up to a total of 32,500 kg. With its exceptional structural robustness and system redundancy, the Spartan offers unique reliability, resilience and manoeuvrability. Ordered and deployed by some of the world’s most important air forces, the C-27J is reliable and extensively tested in the most challenging operational contexts, capable of effectively carrying out any kind of tactical transport mission, from disaster relief to “last tactical mile” support for troops and fire fighting missions using airborne systems. It is equipped with 2 turboprop engines guaranteeing extraordinary performance, extreme operational flexibility and economy of use.
The aircraft is also qualified to perform short take-offs and landings (STOL) on unpaved runways (California Bearing Ratio – CBR >3). Compared to other military transport aircraft in its class, the C-27J has the best descent and climb speed (4,000 and 2,500 ft/min) and can also perform tactical manoeuvres up to 3G, minimising its approach phase and reaching a safe altitude faster. Finally, it is qualified to operate even in extreme temperature conditions (-55° C to + 50° C/ISA+35° C) and can transport its load even at high altitudes.
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Can we convert ours so they become useful?
I assume so – but don’t wait for our government to place an order. I hope I’m wrong – we are looking at a shocker of a bushfire season.