A mock-up of Eurocopter’s newly developed firefighting system for the EC225 is on display at the “World of Innovation” corner of its Heli-Expo booth.
The system—tested extensively during forest fires on Corsica Island—is one of the most effective and powerful helicopter-mounted firefighting systems available in the market. South Korea’s National 119 Rescue Service was the first operator to use the system.
The EC225 Fire Killer consists of a flexible 4000-liter (1,056-gallon) tank attached to the floor of the cabin, a scoop, a water jettison kit, and a system of hatches underneath the fuselage to empty the tank. The tank can be pumped full with the helicopter in hover flight.
The entire system is located inside the cabin. Assembled and dismantled in a mere twenty minutes, the Fire Killer enables the EC225 to perform multiple missions, such as firefighting, transportation and medical evacuations.
