Firefighters are taking a new look at the water bomber helicopter concept, thanks to the use of an innovative mission system on the AS332 L1 Super Puma and EC225.

"Our overriding idea today is that the water bomber helicopter must remain flexible so that it can be used for different missions to fight the same fire,” explained Jean-Pierre Brassler, the program marketing manager.
“We took the water bomber equipment back to the drawing board and developed a mission system that can be installed and removed very quickly.”
The EC225 demonstrations performed in November 2006 proved that the helicopter configuration could be completely changed in less than 15 minutes.

The bladder tank, which is strapped on the cabin floor, can carry up to 4,000 liters of water.
in the central section under the MGB, which is also used to house the tank once it has been emptied and folded.
With the cabin restored to its normal appearance, fire fighters and equipment can then be taken on board with no increased limitations.
For example, in an emergency situation to rescue firefighters who have been trapped by the flames, the bladder does not need to be folded back into its housing as the men can easily access the cabin when the bladder is deflated.
The electric pump used to fill the bladder is attached under the fuselage and can also be removed in a flash.
What’s more, no modification is required to the helicopter airframe to install the equipment.

The structure can be adapted by simply adding an attachment point under the fuselage and using external load hooks.
The retrofit of aircraft in service will be possible once the system is certified and the time that aircraft stays on ground depends from its initial configuration.
“This system can be adapted on any aircraft from the AS332 L1 Super Puma and EC225/EC725 family, and its installation should be certified in 2007,” explained Mr. Brassler.
“The operators will then be able to offer much more than a simple water bomber during the fire season. They can provide an optimized helicopter with considerable added value to make their aircraft as profitable as possible.