France Deploys A400M Military Transport Aircraft for Firefighting for the First Time

For the first time, France deployed an Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft, equipped with a special detachable kit for dropping water and fire retardant, to fight wildfires.

On July 25, the aircraft was deployed to help contain a large-scale fire in the Gironde department, according to Le Monde.

A 20-metric-ton module was installed in the aircraft’s cargo compartment, allowing it to drop a special fire-retardant liquid through the rear ramp without requiring any modifications to the fuselage.

Installing or removing such a module takes one to two hours, allowing the A400M to quickly return to performing its regular transport missions.

Congratulations to the @Armee_de_lair and Sécurité Civile @SecCivileFrance for the first successful #A400M deployment to fight the wildfires in South West of France.

On July 25, a FFrench Air & Space Force A400M has been equipped with a Roll-on/Roll-off (RO-RO) firefighting… pic.twitter.com/ArWdhwUzeR

— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) July 26, 2026

Unlike the Canadair CL-415 amphibious aircraft, the military transport aircraft cannot collect water in flight and requires refueling at airfields, a process that takes about ten minutes.

At the same time, the A400M offers advantages such as the ability to conduct night flights, land on unpaved runways, and operate in challenging weather conditions and heavy smoke.

The deployment of the military aircraft came amid an acute shortage of specialized civil defense aircraft in France.

As of July 25, due to technical malfunctions and a shortage of spare parts, only 5 to 7 of the 12 available Canadair CL-415 amphibious aircraft were operational.

In addition, Cyprus and Sweden sent four firefighting aircraft to France.

Two Cypriot AT-802 aircraft and two Swedish AT-802F aircraft were deployed following the activation of the rescEU EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

This initiative functions as a joint continental civil protection reserve, under which emergency response resources are stationed in member states so they can be rapidly mobilized to provide support to neighboring countries during large-scale environmental disasters.

The Swedish aircraft have been part of the rescEU fleet since 2020 and have participated in nine international operations since then.