France’s Air and Space Force has deployed an Airbus A400M Atlas fitted with a removable firefighting kit for the first time in an active wildfire response, sending the military transport to help combat blazes in Gironde in southwest France. The aircraft carried out its first operational drop on 25 July, using an Airbus-developed roll-on, roll-off module that can release about 20 tonnes of retardant in a single pass.
The deployment came as French authorities scrambled to bolster aerial firefighting capacity during a severe fire outbreak near Bordeaux and Lacanau. The A400M is intended to support, not replace, existing civil-security aircraft such as Canadairs and Dash bombers, laying retardant lines ahead of the fire front and working alongside the established fleet.
Airbus developed the kit as a rapidly configurable option for operators of the A400M, which remains a standard military airlifter when the module is not installed. French officials had accelerated its introduction into service after qualifying and testing work in 2024 and 2025, reflecting wider European interest in dual-use firefighting capacity as wildfire seasons intensify.