A400M to support wildfire firefighting operations in Gironde

Bordeaux – 25 July 2026: Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has instructed the armed forces to deploy an Airbus A400M transport aircraft on Saturday to support firefighting operations in severe wildfires in Gironde. According to the Matignon government office, the aircraft is intended to supplement the ongoing operations of civilian aircraft and firefighters. No confirmed result from the deployment was available by late morning.

The A400M was originally designed as a military transport aircraft for personnel, equipment and humanitarian missions. For firefighting, a special drop module is installed in the cargo hold, allowing water to be released over fire areas. According to official information, France is initially testing this solution in operational use. It does not replace the Canadair fleet or other civil protection firefighting aircraft.

The Interior Ministry, Defence Ministry and Airbus concluded an agreement on 17 July on the provision and equipping of an A400M. The drop module is intended to strengthen national capabilities during a particularly tense wildfire season. According to the authorities, technical trials had previously been conducted in France and Spain before a deployment under real conditions was prepared.

The A400M mission follows a worsening situation in southwestern France. A major wildfire has been burning near Saumos in Gironde since Wednesday. At the same time, another serious fire broke out in Landes, including near Biscarrosse. The Gironde prefecture ordered precautionary evacuations of additional municipalities during the night into Saturday because the risk situation changed as the fires spread.

Lecornu had already announced additional soldiers on Friday evening to support firefighters. They are expected to assist primarily with logistics, securing evacuations and other tasks on the ground. With the A400M, this military support is now being expanded with an air component. Operational command of the firefighting effort remains with the responsible civilian authorities and local incident command teams.

The Interior Ministry stresses that the aircraft is intended to be used only as a supplement. Whether it can fly depends on the flight route, options for drawing or loading water, weather conditions and the security situation. During wildfires, incident command teams continually decide on the use of aircraft: wind, smoke development and proximity to populated areas can directly restrict their operations.

The planned deployment would be the first practical test of the A400M in French civil protection. The Defence Ministry announced the trial on 23 July as an additional option for French wildfire firefighting.