The A400M supports firefighting operations in Gironde for the first time

Saumos – 26 July 2026: For the first time, an A400M military transport aircraft has been deployed to fight a forest fire in Gironde. On Saturday, 25 July, the aircraft dropped fire retardant over the fire area near Saumos, north of the Bassin d’Arcachon. It thus complements the aerial support of civil security forces, but does not replace their firefighting aircraft and helicopters.

The forest fire broke out near Saumos on 22 July and spread rapidly due to drought and wind. As early as 24 July, the Ministry of the Interior described the blaze as the largest forest fire of the current season. Due to the danger to the population and numerous holidaymakers, the authorities ordered extensive protection and evacuation measures.

The A400M was equipped with a drop system capable of carrying up to 20 tonnes of extinguishing agent. According to the Ministry of the Interior, this roughly corresponds to the load of two Dash firefighting aircraft. The transport aircraft is primarily intended to create preventive fire-retardant lines. Such barriers can protect particularly vulnerable areas and slow the spread of the flames. Direct attacks on fire hotspots remain the responsibility of the civilian firefighting fleet.

The deployment is based on an agreement concluded on 17 July between the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence and Airbus. It was preceded by system tests in April 2025 in Nîmes. Technical preparation, further flight tests and the qualification of military crews began on 20 July. The fact that the aircraft was deployed over Saumos just five days later came well ahead of the originally planned schedule.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the French civilian aerial fleet has twelve Canadairs and eight Dash aircraft. In addition, there are twelve firefighting helicopters, six Air Tractors and other departmental helicopters. Three Beechcraft Super King Air aircraft are used for reconnaissance and coordination in larger operations. The A400M expands this capacity with an aircraft of high payload capacity, although its deployment requires particularly precise coordination between the flight crew, air coordination and ground forces.

The military also supports firefighting efforts on the ground. The Héphaïstos protocol enables civil security to request additional military assistance for surveillance, ground work, logistics and air transport. In addition, specialised rescue and fire service forces can reinforce local units.

The drop over Saumos was initially an operational trial under real conditions. Whether the A400M will be used regularly in the future will depend on the assessment of this mission. Its role in Gironde was clearly defined: to create preventive protection strips, while the civilian fleet and firefighters fought the fire directly.