Researchers want to turn airliners into water bombers

• The innovation was born from a collaboration between Dominique Legendre, professor at Toulouse INP and researcher at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics in Toulouse, and the company Kepplair Evolution.
• Called Kios, the Toulouse system, the subject of a patent, optimizes the release of fire retardant products: combined with an innovative tank, it limits losses during its dispersion.
• After conclusive laboratory tests using a 1/3 scale prototype, Toulouse engineers now want to test their system in real conditions, on an airplane.

Every summer, thousands of hectares go up in smoke in France, in fires. This week, nearly 300 hectares still disappeared in a gigantic fire in Istres (Bouches-du-Rhône). To help the States of the European Union in the fight against fires, Toulouse researchers have been working for several years on a system to transform any airliner into a water bomber by optimizing the release modes.

Called Kios, the Toulouse system, which was the subject of a patent, optimizes the release of fire retardant products, combined with an innovative tank, limiting losses during its dispersion.

Optimize the drop mode

This device was born from a collaboration between Dominique Legendre, professor at Toulouse INP and researcher at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics in Toulouse, and David Joubert of the company Kepplair Evolution. “We have worked on the performance of systems developed for firefighting in the United States, which use fire protection products to delay the progression of the fire,” explains Dominique Legendre. Our system does not replace Canadairs but is a complement to fire management, especially when they are large ”.

[#CNRSinnovation] Firefighting: KIOS, an innovative device developed to transform airliners into water bombers resulting from collaborative research conducted by #IMFT and the company Kepplair Evolution, https: // t. co / j5pD9T5lwY pic.twitter.com/IvKSLXeIvi

The objective of Kios is to transform any widebody aircraft, such as an A310 or A330, into a water bomber by optimizing the release modes. An innovative reservoir allows the flow of water or product to be controlled in eight different release levels, each propelling the fluid at a constant speed. The device will thus be able to cover large areas to be bombarded without going back and forth to collect water. "And when the plane is not used outside the fire seasons, it can be used for health or humanitarian missions", explains Dominique Legendre.

First flights in 2022

After conclusive laboratory tests using a 1/3 scale prototype, Toulouse engineers now want to test their system in real conditions, on an airplane. And with the health crisis, there is no shortage of planes grounded at the moment ... The project leaders are in discussion with the Tarmac Aerosave company, which stores and dismantles hundreds of aircraft in Tarbes.

In September, the European Union is going to launch the Horizons2020 Green Deal call, with a theme on fire prevention. A site for which the Toulouse project will apply. "The time to obtain financing, it will take another year to operate the transformation of the aircraft, its certification, its tests, underlines Dominique Legendre. The first flights could take place during the second half of 2022. "

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• Fire
• Toulouse
• Europe
• Fire
• Aeronautics
• Innovation