In the relentless battle against wildfires, time is the most precious commodity. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, DART Aerospace has unveiled a powerful partnership with United Rotorcraft, aimed at the development of an advanced aerial firefighting system tailored for the Airbus Super Puma family of helicopters.
The new aerial firefighting system will consist of a fixed, external belly-mounted water tank with a capacity of 4,000 liters (1,056 gallons) and system controls located in the cockpit.
United Rotorcraft will also develop multi-mission equipment packages to extend the year-round value of the helicopter platform for operator-specific requirements. A key objective includes certification by Federal Aviation Administration, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and Transport Canada supplemental type certificates (STC).
“This partnership solidifies DART’s position as a leader in the helicopter mission equipment industry. Together, United Rotorcraft and DART are reaffirming our commitment to delivering superior solutions to the firefighting market,” said Alain Madore, president of DART Aerospace.
“Our purpose at United Rotorcraft is to provide emergency responders the tools needed to save lives, and protect property and the environment—something that we share at our core with DART Aerospace,” said United Rotorcraft president Larry Alexandre.
“We are excited to be partnering with such a driven leader in the world of aviation to bring further innovation and versatility to the global aerial firefighting community by adding to our existing product portfolio.”
Currently, the companies leverage their experience producing similar aerial firefighting capabilities for other Type 1 helicopters. The new Super Puma system, an extension of their aerial firefighting solution portfolios, will provide the market with crucial wildfire attack capability for Type 1 rotorcraft where there is an estimated 25 percent capacity gap globally.
With this long-term agreement, the team will identify and meet additional market requirements with a type-certified aerial firefighting system for operators of the Super Puma helicopter family, including new and legacy Airbus H225 and AS332 aircraft.
Targeted end users include government agencies and commercial operators worldwide requiring a highly effective multi-mission solution.
Visit DART and United Rotorcraft at the Aerial Firefighting Europe Conference in Athens, Greece, Oct. 17 to 18, 2023.
